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.
Friday Harbor is a town in San Juan County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,130 at the 2008 Census Bureau estimate. Located on San Juan Island, it is the major commercial center of the San Juan Islands archipelago. It is the county seat of San Juan County.