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.
Rio (pronounced RYE-O) is an unincorporated community in southern Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Rio is located just north of the Hardy County line at the crossroads of Augusta-Ford Hill Road (West Virginia Secondary Route 53) and Delray Road in the North River Valley. The county line actually cuts through the community with 3/4 of it lying in Hampshire County and the remaining 1/4 in Hardy County. One of the main attractions that brings people from far and wide is the "Rio Mall" or C and G Discount. It was founded in the late 1970's and has been a thriving place of economical interest for the "short on cash. " The Mall is a thrift store that carries any and all types of items. The main(and only) restaurant choice would be the "Crickside Diner. " It is a quaint local business with a taste of country as it makes all its food from scratch. According to the 2000 census, the Rio community has a population of 154.