Essential utilities comprise foundational public services and infrastructure networks that are strictly necessary to maintain public health, safety, economic productivity, and modern daily living standards. These critical sectors primarily include clean drinking water supply, wastewater collection and treatment, electricity generation and distribution, natural gas transmission, and telecommunications networks. Because these services are indispensable to communities, the companies operating them are typically heavily regulated monopolies or public utilities tasked with maintaining reliable, safe, and universally accessible infrastructure networks.