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.
Crawford is a town located in western McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is best-known as the home of former President of the United States George W. Bush. He currently resides at the Prairie Chapel Ranch, which is located just outside Crawford, Texas. Crawford is part of the Waco Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 705. The 2005 census estimates Crawford's population at 789. The town was incorporated on August 12, 1897.