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.
Athens is a city in Henderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 11,297. It is the county seat of Henderson County. According to the Texas Legislature, Athens is the "Original Home of the Hamburger" . The city also calls itself the "Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World", due to their annual black-eyed pea festival.