Jennifer
Stahl of Naperville, Illinois, found out recently that opposing the
installation of a Smart Meter at her house landed her in jail. She could see
utility company workers replacing her neighbor’s meter although clear signs
posted said, “Private Property, No Trespassing, No Authorization to Install
Smart Meter.” Obviously, the utility company did not have the owner’s
permission to proceed.
Once
workers arrived at Jennifer’s house, she locked the gate and refused them
access. The police was promptly called to force her to comply, the lock was
cut, the smart meter installed, and she was arrested for interfering with a
police officer.
The
Chicago Tribune reported the incident. City Manager Doug Kreiger told
reporters, “The city has always had and maintains the right to access our
equipment, and today we were simply exercising that right.” What happened to
the woman’s right to refuse the purchase and use of a particular good or
service as is the case under capitalism? Do our rights disappear when a company
has tyrannical monopoly power? (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/suburbs/naperville/chi-naperville-smart-meter-arrest-20130123,0,6519967.story)
In
spite of the work of the Naperville Smart Meter Awareness Group, Smart Meters
had been installed in 57,000 homes, a 99 percent completion rate so far. The
Group has filed a lawsuit against the city on concern over health, security,
and privacy issues. Malia “Kim” Bendis was also arrested on charges of
attempted eavesdropping and resisting a police officer. Both women are leaders of
the Group fighting the installation of Smart Meters.
Smart
meters have been at the center of controversy across the country for causing
radiation exposure, health issues, fires from exploding meters, invasion of
privacy without a warrant, increased electricity rates, decreased service, utilities
cutting power during peak usage, selling of information to third parties
without the owner’s consent, and hacking by thieves who could sell information
and know when owners are not home. The Congressional Report Service has written
two reports to Congress on Smart Meter cyber security and potential health
hazards.
Many
states have moved to file class action lawsuits and pass bills that would give
customers the choice to opt-out and forbidding utilities to charge excessive
fees for sending workers on site to read traditional meters each month. I wrote
previous articles about the issues with Smart Meters. (http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/44757)
and the potential health effects. (http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/41988)
Dr.
Mercola’s health website, Mercola.com, has compiled a report on the Smart Meter
debacle, including audio, video, and in-depth coverage of the serious issues
with smart grid technology. (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/05/smart-utility-meters-aspx)
On
Monday, January 28, 2013, the Virginia Senate Commerce and Labor Committee will
hold a hearing on SB 797 introduced by Senator Thomas A. Garrett. This bill will
prohibit any utility company from installing an advanced meter (Smart Meter) on
private property or requiring the installation of one unless the customer
requests it. If the utility already installed a Smart Meter, they would have to
replace it with an analog meter if the customer demands it. If the customer
refuses the advanced meter (Smart Meter), the utility company cannot charge a
penalty or a higher rate.
According
to Josh del Sol, Director of Take Back Your Power, a group in British Columbia
had excellent success in helping 140,000-250,000 people to keep their analog
meters and thus preserve their rights. (www.TakBackYourPower.net)
If
Americans cannot control the type of gadgets and spying devices attached to our
home, or what service providers do to us, just how much freedom do we really
have left?
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