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.
Norton is an independent city within the confines of Wise County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,904, making it the smallest city in the state by population. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Norton with surrounding Wise County for statistical purposes.