According to Dr. Amy Dean, “The claim has been made that smart meters are safe and that no health risks exist. However, [the] industry has not conducted independent studies or investigations to verify that claim.”
Dr. Dean is an Ann Arbor, Michigan (USA) physician and the immediate past president for the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM).
RT News reportedly covers major issues often missed by the mainstream media. Specifically, “The Truthseeker” introduces hard-hitting reporting, featuring exclusive interviews and investigations with anchor Daniel Bushell.
NAPERVILLE, IL — City of Naperville documents indicate that the Department of Public Utilities for Water and Wastewater is reviewing options for implementation of a city-wide deployment of smart water meters. In a memorandum dated October 4, 2013, the Director of the city water department indicated that smart water meters would “automate water meter reads and provide customers near real time information on use (including leak detection and notification) as well as other account information.”
NAPERVILLE, IL — As a follow-up to another blog posting, “Naperville Smart Meters Keep Track of Household Activities,” a new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was made by members of a Naperville household to obtain information related to smart meter readings for their account.
On October 15, 2013, in a significant announcement, the French health agency, ANSES, published results of its assessment of risks related to exposure to radiofrequencies based upon a review of the international scientific literature.
An ANSES press release begins with the statement:
“Faced with the rapid development of wireless technologies, ANSES issues recommendations for limiting exposure to radiofrequencies, especially for the most vulnerable populations.”
NAPERVILLE, IL — The widespread deployment of smart meters has resulted in serious concerns that such devices unreasonably invade the privacy of consumers. Some of the main privacy concerns that have been reported in the literature are summarized below.
In May 2011, the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) voted to require Central Maine Power to offer an opt-out program for customers who choose not to have a standard smart meter installed as part of CMP’s smart meter program. The customer who choses an opt-out option would be required to pay the associated costs of that option, either an initial charge of $20 and a monthly charge of $10.50, or the initial charge of $40 and a monthly charge of $12.
NAPERVILLE, IL — Over the past year, the City of Naperville and its municipally owned utility have installed smart meters for nearly all residents. In an attempt to resolve some concerns related to the City no longer documenting “current” and “previous” electrical usage meter readings on monthly bills, one resident sent the City of Naperville a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in an attempt to obtain this information for her account. What she received back was a month’s worth of 15-minute interval usage amounts in kWh, literally thousands of numbers with no associated meter readings. The resident sent the information to me to determine what sense I could make of the numbers and to show me that the actual meter readings were not included with the 67-page document that she had received from the City.
MEMPHIS, TN – Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) claims to be one of the nation’s largest municipal utilities, serving nearly 421,000 customers.
On Tuesday, October 1, 2013, the President of MLGW said there is no fee if you do not want a smart meter in your home. Smart meters will replace 170 MLGW meter readers in the coming years. There had been concern that an opt-out fee would be charged, but this was clarified on Tuesday when it was more widely announced that in August, the Memphis City Council approved purchase of the meters without an associated opt-out fee.
In November 2011, market analysis and consulting provider Pike Research released a report examining the current state of utility cyber security.
The report was entitled Utility Cyber Security – Seven Key Smart Grid Security Trends to Watch in 2012 and Beyond and concluded that although a great deal of attention has shifted to protecting systems that govern infrastructure, utilities have a long way to go in protecting critical networks. The primary headline from the report was:
“Utility cyber security is in a state of near chaos. [emphasis added] After years of vendors selling point solutions, utilities investing in compliance minimums rather than full security, and attackers having nearly free rein, the attackers clearly have the upper hand. Many attacks simply cannot be defended.”
Smart Grid Awareness 