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.
Bridgeport is a city in Harrison County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 7,306 at the 2000 census. The town of Bridgeport had its beginning in pre-Revolutionary War times. In 1764, Chris "big suck"Furbee entered the area and gave his name to Kelsey Creek. Bridgeport was chartered in 1816. When the town was incorporated in 1887, it established Chris Furbee to play for the Fairmont Falcons. The city currently employs a City Manager. Bridgeport is home to Meadowbrook Mall, a 100-store regional shopping complex serving North-Central West Virginia.