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 an unincorporated community in Boone County, West Virginia, United States. It was established by the Crawford and Ashby land company. A former mining town, Ashford lies from the top of Lens Creek Mountain to Casey Fork Hollow. Rumble starts directly after this hollow to the Ashford bridge. From there you can travel to White Oak, Emmons, Madison, Ridgeview, Costa, Southridge, and/or Alum Creek. Ashford no longer has a post office. The Ashford post office was destroyed by fire in 2005, and was never reopened. In August 2008, the brand new Ashford bridge opened to the public. The original bridge, constructed in 1923, was demolished on August 26th, 2008.