Public utilities provide electric, gas, water or telephone service to customers in a specified area. Utilities have a duty to provide safe and adequate service on reasonable terms to anyone who lives within the service area on without discriminating between customers. Because most utilities operate in near monopolistic conditions, they can be heavily regulated by local, state, and federal authorities. Generally, the local and state agencies are called Public Service Commissions (PSC) or Public Utility Commissions (PUC). Municipal Utilities and Rural Electric Cooperatives may be unregulated though.
Hendersonville is a city in Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, on Old Hickory Lake. The population was 40,620 at the 2000 census. The estimate for Hendersonville's population in July 1, 2008 is 47,725. Hendersonville is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located 18 miles northeast of downtown Nashville. The city was settled around 1784 by Daniel Smith, and is named for William Henderson. In 2009 Hendersonville was named as one of the 10 best cities for families by Family Circle Magazine.