Woman restores analog meter to protect husband

Susan Beckman, a children’s TV show producer who lives near Lompoc in Santa Barbara County, has removed a Smart Meter from her home and replaced it with an analog meter to protect her husband.  In response to this act Susan stated a PG&E representative has threatened  to “bring the police and turn off her power.”

Misled by PG&E into thinking she could refuse the new meter when the installers arrived, a Smart Meter was installed without her knowledge.  She started to hear a buzz  and a loud hum in the house and noticed feeling extremely fatigued with aching joints, a rash and feeling flu-like.  After some investigation she discovered the new meter on her house.  She was also very concerned about her husband.  She writes, “My 89 year old husband has had cancer removed and the smart meter installed a few feet from where he spends about 80% of his time in his den.”

Susan then called PG&E and spoke to several representatives with whom she said made “demeaning comments” and they refused to remove the meter.  Finally, she talked with one who was actually sympathetic who told her she could buy an analog meter and replace it, which she did, with her own hands, with guidance from an electrician.  She said she, “wore gloves, turned the main power off, clipped the lock, took the collar off and used a lot pressure to pull it off.” The electrician checked it out and verified it was done correctly.

She then sent registered letters, reviewed by her attorney to PG&E.  In an email to the California Public utilities Commission Susan writes that PG&E Smart Meter agent “Dennis Weidman, before losing his patience and hanging up on me, said tomorrow he will bring the police and turn off our electricity.”

To be continued…

9/23/2011 PG&E has not turned off her power and a local newspaper wrote up her story:

Local woman confronts PG&E over ‘smart meter’

How radiation emissions of cell phone, microwave compare to ‘Smart’Meter


Amy O’Hair measures the radiation emitted by a cell phone, a microwave oven and two ‘Smart’ Meters in use. The results? The radiation pulses from the meters were stronger than both the microwave and the cell phone.

Here’s what PG&E claimed:
In response to the EMF Safety Network request for safety hearings, PG&E stated,

” Exposure to radio frequency energy from SmartMeter™ technology isconsiderably less than the exposure from other radio devices in widespread use.”

PG&E then listed many sources including cell phones, cordless phones, microwave ovens as examples of other radio devices in widespread use. Following this list they claim,

“These devices often involve more frequent radio transmission, emit radio frequency energy for longer periods of time and operate in closer proximity to humans, than PG&E SmartMeter™ devices.”

You can turn off the cell phone, and choose whether or not to use a microwave oven, but the meter is on all the time. Even if you turn off the power to your home, the meter will still be on. Thanks again Amy for this illustration.

Crossing the line with wireless

Kimberly Grigg, a Victoria Canada resident, practices prudent avoidance of EMF and wireless devices.  The home phone is corded, the computer is wired for internet access, and they do not use a microwave oven.

In a recent BC local news article Kimberly expresses what many of us feel when told we must have a microwave transmitter installed on our home: It crosses the line.

“I think it’s an outrage … it’s an violation of my freedom. …We are already forced to live in an environment that is totally toxic and it’s bad enough without having it attached to your house. We’ve made choices here and I don’t want (BC Hydro) to take that away from us.”

Fridge blows after smart meter installed

Canadian News reports an 81 year old’s refrigerator failed minutes after a Smart Meter was installed.

According to the article, his fridge was working fine, until the electric surge burned it out when the meters were swapped.

The installation company denied  the blame.  They offered no apology, and no financial compensation.  Reports of similar problems can be read here.

Locking ring cut by SCE

Deborah Tavares, a leader in the nationwide Refuse Smart Meter movement, who owns property in Southern California, secured a metal locking ring around her analog meter to protect it from being  replaced with a ‘Smart’ Meter.  She also changed the lock on the cabinet where the meter was enclosed.  Many people have taken similar action to protect their analog meters.  Today, however, Southern California Edison (SCE) cut off both the cabinet lock and the analog locking ring, forcibly installing the new meter.  Deborah said, ” This is tyrannical take over, a technocracy takeover- we are at war!”

SCE has been ordered to provide a delay list by the CPUC, but they have not complied.

Pulsed Radiation Nightmare

Amy O’Hair investigates and measures pulsed radiation from a bank of 42 utility ‘smart’ meters installed below an apartment bedroom. The clicks you hear in the video indicate a transmitting pulse.  The FCC safety standard for radiation exposure is for 30 minutes only.  There are no long term safety standards for continuous exposure this couple now lives with.  Resident Tom Rossi told Amy his wife has “weird, violent dreams”.

When asked what one thing he would say to PG&E, Tom responds, “I don’t want to be part of your experiment”.