A public utility is an entity that provides the general public with essential goods and services such as electricity, natural gas, energy, water, sewer, heat, telecommunications (telephone, fiber optic or broadband internet), railroad, and rail transit.

Public utilities (goods and services) are often provided by a public utility corporation that is essentially given a monopoly over the provision of the good or service in a certain geographic area—and exemption from antitrust and unfair competition laws—in exchange for certain governmental restrictions and regulations. Public utility companies are often regulated by a governmental Public Utility Commission (PUC).

The laws and rules that govern public utilities are usually located in state or federal statutes—depending on whether the utility is regulated by the state or federal government. For example, many states have a public utilities code—sometimes called a public utility regulatory act—or provide for public utility corporations and their regulation in the state administrative code. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is one example of a PUC at the federal level.

In Utah, public utilities are regulated entities that provide essential services such as electricity, gas, water, and telecommunications to the public. These utilities are typically granted a monopoly within a certain geographic area in exchange for adhering to regulations and oversight by a governmental body. The primary regulatory authority for public utilities in Utah is the Public Service Commission of Utah (PSCU). The PSCU is responsible for ensuring that the rates charged by utilities are fair and reasonable, that the services provided are adequate, and that the utility operations are conducted in a manner that serves the public interest. State statutes governing public utilities can be found in the Utah Code, particularly in Title 54 - Public Utilities, which outlines the powers and duties of the PSCU, as well as the regulatory framework for utility corporations. At the federal level, agencies like the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulate aspects of utility services that cross state lines or are otherwise under federal jurisdiction, such as interstate electricity transmission and natural gas pipelines.