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.
Bassett is a census-designated place (CDP) in Henry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,338 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Martinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area. The town was founded along a rail line by the same family that later started Bassett Furniture. Bassett Furniture's headquarters have remained in Bassett, Va. , since it began in 1902. A few miles outside of Bassett is Billy's Flea Market, which is home to frequent traditional music and dance shows in the traditions of the Blue Ridge area, as well as an annual Jamboree .