A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and a regulation ranging from local community-based groups to statewide government monopolies.
The term utilities can also refer to the set of services provided by these organizations consumed by the public: coal, electricity, natural gas, water, sewage, telephone, and transportation. Broadband internet services (both fixed-line and mobile) are increasingly being included within the definition.