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.
Ashford is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 267 as of the 2000 census. Located just a few miles west of the main entrance to Mount Rainier National Park, it features numerous shops and accommodations for visitors. The surrounding mountains and narrow Nisqually River valley are heavily forested.