PG&E 2 Watt smart meters

PGE Cone HeadPG&E now has on it’s website a description of a new type of smart meter that transmits up to 2 watts of radio frequency radiation. They call it a “meter connector.”  Years ago activists warned there was a meter like this, some called it a “mother” or a “medusa” meter”,  but PG&E didn’t admit to it. In June 2011 PG&E wrote “PG&E’s network design does not use a ‘mother’ meter concept; relay devices and access point collectors are pole-top devices.”

In November 2011, when the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) judge asked for technical details about smart meters, there was no mention of a smart meter that transmitted up to 2 watts.  PG&E only reported using 1 watt meters. The table below is the technical description of the smart meters PG&E reported to the CPUC judge.
Screen Shot 2016-02-13 at 8.02.20 AMWhen did PG&E start using 2 watt meters on people’s homes?  How would someone know if they had one?  Do they look different?

This is from PG&E’s website: “If a standard SmartMeter™ is unable to connect to PG&E’s dedicated radio frequency (RF), a Meter-Connector is installed to act as both a SmartMeter™ and a cellular electric network access point (so it can collect information from neighboring non-communicating meters)… The Meter-Connector either transmits 1.25 watts or 2 watts depending on the speed of the cellular network in your area, compared to a standard SmartMeter that transmits 1 watt.”

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