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.
Carrollton is a city in Denton County, Dallas County and Collin County in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2005, census estimates the city's total population to be 122,699. Carrollton is a suburb of Dallas. The city of Carrollton has been named to America's 2006 Top 100 Places to Live for 2006 by Relocate America. Also, in 2006, Carrollton was selected as the 19th best place to live in the United States by Money magazine. It was later named the 15th best place to live in 2008 by Money magazine.