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.
Mabank is a town in Henderson and Kaufman Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 2,151 at the 2000 census. The population estimate as of January 1, 2007 was 2,816. The Biggest Loser contestant Abby Rike is from here and the location is shown in week 7.