CPUC President Peevey to Californians: Health and safety aren't free you know! We're going to charge you THIS much and we're not even going to let you keep your analog
From EMF Safety Network:
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Yesterday the President of the California the Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Michael Peevey issued a Proposed Decision on what to do with the thousands of complaints against the (dumb, too smart, not smart, spy, murder, dirty, hazardous, merd, smeter) microwave computer utility meters that companies are stealthily installing with support from government and environmentalists.
The CPUC, whose mission is to provide safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates, and regulate the utilities has once again rubber stamped PG&E’s demands. Peevey’s proposed decision says we must pay $90 upfront and $15 a month for a “radio off” meter. Analog meters are not included. The fees are an obvious punishment, and likely illegal.
What can we do about this outrage in California? Here’s an idea: We can REFUSE to pay. Deduct it from the utility bill in protest.
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If approved, this decision by the CPUC would represent the first time in history when a Class 2B carcinogen was mandated by a state or federal agency on private property.
Charging people who wish to avoid hazardous agents on their home, as well as those who are medically intolerant to wireless radiation an‘opt out’ fee is unjustified extortion.
SF Chronicle coverage of CPUC proposed decision here.
You can see the evil in that guys face.
Can you imagine the torture and hell that a person would be living in if he were that guys son?
Yeah, I have to agree that Peevey seems pretty off-base with that remark…but then we’ve got this to deal with as well: “Can you imagine the torture and hell that a person would be living in if he were that guys son?”
Do you even know Peevey or his family? This is just a prime example of the fear-generating vitriol that does not help your cause. Yet the moderator allows it…and that seems like a “put down” to me. Moderator? Care to weigh in?
Of course, if I had done my homework, I would have realized that the caption on this headline/picture was *not a remark* by Peevey, but a rather nasty spin by the post’s author. My mistake. The OP might consider a less inflammatory caption, but my knee-jerk reaction is probably just what they’re counting on in order to fuel the fear machine. Am I right?
I think there’s a pretty fine line between being sensational and insensitive. I don’t care to be the judge of which side of that line this particular comment falls, but it could certainly be less inflammatory.
It’s so easy to post, but not much harder to be constructive.
By “this particular comment” you meant the comment at the head of this string? I think the reply was misplaced. Correct?
This is England bill for sample. I wish I can read my own electric meter by enter meter reading on line account.
“Please enter your meter reading on on line account”
http://www.southern-electric.co.uk/YourAccount/GiveAMeterReading/
Donna, here in the U.S., you don’t need a computer or internet connection to phone in your monthly meter reads. All we have to do is call PG&E and give them the readings on the phone.
Many people here don’t have high speed broadband internet connections available, and many people do not want to own computers.
People have been phoning in monthly meter reads for decades here, it works well, is more accurate than anything else, and only takes a few minutes per month.
The utility wants to read our meter at least once a year, to make sure that our readings are up to date. If we got off one way or another, it will be corrected once a year.
It is a very good idea to read your meter often, especially if you have a house full of people that you cannot control, but have to charge them for their share of the monthly bill. You can give each person a “heads up” about conserving energy weekly if you want to. It works for me, and millions of other customers here in the U.S.
WARNING !
A friend just called me and said that PG&E left an automated message on their home land line message machine. The message was instructing the customer to go online to PG&E to find out about options for people that were put on the delay list for new SmartMeters.
The BIG problem is, my friend never ever contacted PG&E to be put on a delay list by any method, by letter, by phone, or by computer.
The only way that PG&E knows if a customer refused the meter is if a Wellington installer entered it onto a handheld device that is uploaded to PG&E as an address that refused the meter.
I think that this is another trap. I don’t recommend that anyone ever contact PG&E using their home computer regarding this problem.
If one wants information about the plans of PG&E, I suggest that you continue reading this site and follow the current updates, and also the local media like the Chronicle.
I have a strong feeling that PG&E will trick people into allowing a meter replacement, so that they can charge a fee to “turn off” the transmitter in the new meter.
If one still has an analog meter, then I don’t see a way that PG&E can legally charge a fee to “turn off” a transmitter that does not exist. Think about it, and be very carefull.
Personally, I would never contact PG&E from a computer for any reason at all.
So everyone who has a “Smart” Meter will now be getting a $15 a month DISCOUNT because they don’t have to bother coming out and reading the meter?
Is that really what it costs them to come out and read a meter? One small 40 mpg truck or even better, small car running around reading meters really costs that much per meter?
Did they just pull the number out of their ass? Where did it come from?
If they don’t offer people the discount, then the meter reading is already built into the fees they charge now so there’s no way they can claim it’s going to cost MORE to read the meters.
Why don’t they use that discount as a selling point to the new meters? If they are so great and save so much money, why not use that to get people to opt-in instead?
“You want one of our new smart meters, we will give you $15 every month because we don’t have to come out and read it anymore. Please call and ask us for this new wonderful thingy.”
On the other topic, turning off the transmitter will not solve all the issues that have been presented. (and now you see why all the issues needed to be presented)
Will it still receive? I am sure it will, they have to be able to update the firmware from remote, and want to be able to turn your power off whenever they feel like it.
So the meters will still be hackable FROM REMOTE. And you can bet the physical transmitter will still be in the device. They aren’t going to be able to make the mods to remove just the transmitter. It will be there, it’s part of the same circuits as all the other stuff.
So now all a hacker has to do is send the right commands and turn on the transmitter. Or who knows, maybe the power company will do it because they need to have your meter as part of the mesh to help with billing, so they just turn it on hoping you will never know.
These meters will still be unfair trade due to their re-programmability. How will we know they haven’t changed it to read wrong? Even a small change to millions of meters means big bucks to their bottom line. What if someone drives around sending the commands to change the rates of thousands of meters? Won’t we all have to pay for the difference in the end because the power company just passes it on to everyone?
Won’t these meters make it EASIER for people to steal power by simply re-programming the meters? Thus costing everyone else to pay up?
How will a customer know if the transmitter is really off or not? What if people are paying this fee but yet the transmitter is really on? Who will know? UNFAIR COMMERCE!
What about the Electro Magnetic Pulse EMP problem? I don’t want my community susceptible to EMP attacks. Even a kid with a coil and a battery could wreck havoc on an apartment building with a bank of meters. You people don’t understand how easy it is to disturb an electronic circuit that’s sitting in a simple plastic case.
Someone needs to sit Peevey down and make sure he’s fully informed. Has he read any of this stuff?
And where’s the independent technical analysis on any of this? Peevey doesn’t even know what a transistor is.
Why are we putting our personal health, safety and privacy in the hands of non technical people on this highly technical issue?
Is the PUC depending on the meter manufacturer’s word about the technical issues? Are they that stupid?
And since when is the PUC supporting the stock price of PG&E ? That’s what profits are all about, and that’s what they will get if they get this new fee.
I pay $50 per quarter to opt out of a transmitting water meter in my basement. Our WI state statutes say a utility cannot discriminate in pricing, nor charge something not appearing on its current schedule. That’s $200/year to have them read the meter 12 times per year. The meters pulse every 4 seconds from all my neighbors’ houses, so not having one in my home is not good enough. But I am still paying $200/year to be sick in my own home.