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.
Derby Line is an incorporated village in the town of Derby in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 776 at the 2000 census. The village is located on the Canada-United States border and is contiguous with the district of Rock Island in the town of Stanstead, Quebec. Notable buildings include the Haskell Free Library and Opera House.