Please note, this page has not been added to since 2014. Most links to stories are now unavailable, but some are still online. updated 6/5/2021.
1/21/2014 Media Blackout on Smart Meter Dangers “Major power utilities continue to deploy “smart” electrical meters on businesses and private residences throughout the United States and Canada. Yet those in North America and elsewhere remain in the dark on the negative health effects of such devices that systematically blast their homes with radio-frequency (RF) radiation on a minute-by-minute, round-the-clock basis.”
Massive cyberattack linked to at least one refrigerator “Smart” appliances have been transformed into “thingbots” to launch large-scale cyberattacks: “Proofpoint, an internet security firm, has uncovered what may be the first Internet of Things-based cyberattack involving “smart” appliances, including at least one refrigerator. The cyberattack involved more than 750,000 spam emails originating from more than 100,000 consumer gadgets.” http://www.sciencerecorder.com/news/massive-cyberattack-linked-to-at-least-one-refrigerator-report/
“Smart meters emit RF waves, which are a type of electromagnetic radiation, so there is the potential for them to cause harm.” —American Cancer Society
July 9, 2013 Memphis councilman calls ‘smart meters’ new form of communism “Communism, hacking, and even fire. Residents and politicians alike have said just about everything about MLGW installing smart meters. The resolution that sits before the Memphis City Council to exchange MLGW’s analog meters for digital smart meters is creating this talk. “The smart meters are going to be entry points for hacking,” said resident Yvonne Burton. She joined about 50 other people at city hall who are opposed to smart meters. They wore tags calling for a referendum in an attempt to stop the installation of smart meters. City Council member Joe Brown called smart meters a new source of communism…”
May 19, 2013 As Towns Say No, Signs of Rising Resistance to Smart Meters According to the NY TIMES in October [2012], the City Council of Brady Texas voted unanimously to purchase smart electric meters for the city-owned electric utility. Smart meter resistance advocates helped to recall the mayor and defeat election of two council members. “Voters here passed a referendum last weekend to enshrine in the City Charter the right of residents to refuse the installation of smart meters on their property.”
Union leaders oppose MLGW’s smart meter expansion See this great short video clip which hits important points about the risk of fire, higher utility bills and meter readers as the safety team. MLGW stands for Memphis Light, Gas and Water, in Tennesee. “Meter readers are turning in 13,000 tickets a year of things they’re finding out in the field. Smart Meters will never find those things.”
May 2013 Illinois Governor Vetoes Smart Grid According to the Chicago Tribune, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn stated, “We cannot allow big utilities to take over and run roughshod over families and businesses,” He then stamped the veto with so much gusto that he sent a pen on the table tumbling to the floor. “We’re not going to let the utilities run Illinois.”
Smart Meter protest at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village California on March 20th 2013. Executives for all the major companies promoting smart grid and smart meter technology gather for a three day conference. Liz Barris leads the charge at this protest and holds nothing back.
3/19/2013 Catastrophic’ cyberattack could hit utilities like PG&E “…the California Public Utilities Commission is considering rules to bolster cybersecurity protections. The agency, which held the forum Sample attended, warned in a recent report that utilities are becoming increasingly vulnerable as their networks add smart meters and other computerized gear…”
“…All it would take to cause havoc is a $60 smartphone application, which an attacker could use to wirelessly communicate with one of the key computerized systems that utilities depend on to control their operations, according to a study by security firm Pike Research.
Currently, “many attacks simply cannot be defended,” it concluded. “Utility cybersecurity is in a state of near chaos.”
11/29/2012 Examiner: Something is still wrong with the smart meters Writer Norman Lambe outlines his concerns regarding smart meters and gas explosions. “A glitch in the construction of the meters soon became apparent to the installers, and created a situation in which arcing could take place creating a spark, and if a natural gas leak existed anywhere in the vicinity serious problems could result, as witnessed to by the San
Bruno explosion.” He calls for a federal probe on the possible connection between Smart Meters and gas explosions stating, ” I believe it is time for a federal probe into finding out once and for all the responsibility for the natural gas explosions taking place to
determine if the smart meters are responsible.”
9/27/2012 Maker of Smart-Grid Control Software Hacked
“The maker of an industrial control system designed to be used with so-called smart grid networks disclosed to customers last week that hackers had breached its network and accessed project files related to a control system used in portions of the electrical grid.
Telvent, which is owned by Schneider Electric, told customers in a letter that on Sept. 10 it learned of the breach into its network. The attackers installed malicious software on the network and also accessed project files for its OASyS SCADA system, according to KrebsOnSecurity, which first reported the breach.”
Fairfield Iowa water department proposed to halt implementation of smart water meters and to reimburse citizens for opt-out fees for the smart water meters.
Smart Meter, Dumb Idea? Wall Street Journal online
8/22/2012 All Your Records Are Belong to U.S. “Twice in the last month, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed that the government can access records about you held by third parties without getting a warrant. It’s a nice illustration of the broad and deep reach of the “third party doctrine.”
U.S. v. Golden Valley Electric Association is the more recent of the two. In that case, the government delivered an administrative subpoena to a member-owned electricity cooperative asking for quite a bit of information about three residences it served:
customer information including full name, address, telephone number, and any account information for customer; method of payment (credit card, debit card, cash, check) with card number and account information; to include power consumption records and date(s) service was initiated and terminated for the period 10-01-2009 through 12-14-2010…”
7/12/2012 Court sides with smart-meter foes on health issues PORTLAND — The Maine Public Utilities Commission failed to resolve health and safety issues related to Central Maine Power Co.’s installation of smart meters and should now do so, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court has ruled.
6/12/2012 Ashland drops smart meter opt-out fee
Smart meters are ‘massive surveillance’ tech – privacy supremo/ The European Data Protection Supervisor has warned that smart meters are a significant privacy threat and wants limits on the retention and use of customer data before it’s too late.
4/20/2012 Pepco Meter Mania! Most people just hate Pepco’s service. Some say the utility is making them sick.
4/16/2012 Thousand Oaks City Council supports No Cost Analogs for SCE Customers
04/12/12 Industry insiders: insufficient security controls for smart meters Homeland Security News
April 11, 2012 FBI: Smart Meter Hacks Likely to Spread– series of attacks cost Utility hundreds of millions of dollars.
April 5,2012 We Are EMR Guinea Pigs, video by Jerry day- discusses smart grid surveillance, privacy invasion and poses that saturating the environment with electromagnetic radiation is mass murder. “Electromagnetic radiation dismantles you from the inside out.”
March 28, 2012: Ventura County Supes push for a free smart meter opt out program. “The Board of Supervisors voted to send the California Public Utilities Commission a letter urging the agency to let Ventura County residents reject “smart meters” without penalizing them. The board voted 4-1 at Tuesday’s meeting to urge the commission to adopt a free opt-out measure.”
March 2012: “That’s right. Your refrigerator is a snitch and your television is watching you back. Where on earth do I get these crazy, paranoid ideas? Why from the news, of course, and from the Director of the CIA himself, David Petraeus. No folks, I’m not making it up. Petraeus says that web-connected gadgets will ‘transform’ the art of spying – allowing spies to monitor people automatically without planting bugs, breaking and entering, or even donning a tuxedo to infiltrate a dinner party.” Goodman Green- Brasscheck
The CIA wants to spy on you through your TV: Agency director says net-connected gadgets will ‘transform’ surveillance. “Spies will no longer have to plant bugs in your home – the rise of ‘connected’ gadgets controlled by apps will mean that people ‘bug’ their own homes, says CIA director David Petraeus…The CIA claims it will be able to ‘read’ these devices via the internet – and perhaps even via radio waves from outside the home.”
Maryland: Del. Glass: On Public Utility Smart Meters “Evidence Suggests these Meters May be Dangerous to Our Bodies and the Environment”
3/14/2012 Smart meter video Australia
2/24/2012 Goleta, CA City Council asks for free opt-out
2/23/2012 Palo Alto, CA the center of California’s High Tech Silicon Valley, Rejects Smart Meters.
2/8/2012 Power grid updates left system vulnerable to cyberattacks, auditors say
2/1/2011 UK: Smart meters for energy to be voluntary/ Plans to force households to have energy smart meters installed have been shelved over health and privacy fears.
1/10/12 Mount Shasta takes stand against smartmetersSmart electricity meters can be used to spy on private homes1/6/2011 Dr. David Carpenter and Josh Hart talk with Dr. Gary Null on NY radio about wireless health risks (brain cancer and leukemia) from smart meters. http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/progressive-commentary-hour/
12/14/2011 New Troubles With Smart Meters PG&E cuts power after mother restored analog to protect children suffering headaches and bloody noses. KSBW News
PG&E cuts power to three SmartMeter opponents
12/08/09 Angry customers return smart meters
12/07/2011 Why is NV Energy’s Smart Meter Grant, Associated With The DOD’s Research & Development Division?
11/30/2011 Nevada News investigates public complaints with Smart Meters, including cost, privacy and health. Reporter Brooke Boone asks Nevada Public Utilities Commission spokesperson Peter Kostes a pointed question: “How is OK to install 500,000 already, and now be moving forward with more installations?” Nevada Regulators have opened an investigation on the problems with the new meters and will hold a hearing on December 6.
11/27/2011 Scientists warn solar flares could disrupt power grid: “…the entire power grid could get zapped, which could cause trillions of dollars of damage.”
11/19/2011 Electronics on the fritz? Maine Public Advocate says it could be smart meters
11/3/2011 Smart Meters Talk Alot (SF Gate)
10/31/2011 Family forced to move after suffering health problems, Smart Meter refugees, since neighbors meter installed (Australia)
From January 2011 regarding Smart Meter skyrocketing bills: “We eventually had to move because we couldn’t pay the utility bills,” she says. “Now I have a $9,000 bill on my credit report.” Rage Against the Machine
10/10/2011 LOCAL SMART METER OPPONENT STAGES PROTEST AT CIVIC CENTER DURING OCCUPY SAN DIEGO
10/04/2011 Toronto Sun Pickering smart meter explodes. Worse, couple may have to pay for replacement.
10/01/2011 British Columbia Cities call on Hydro to freeze smart meter push “The campaign to derail B.C. Hydro’s rollout of wireless smart meters got a boost from mayors and councillors at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention Friday. Delegates voted 55 per cent to support a moratorium on the mandatory installation of smart meters until major issues can be resolved. ” Proposed resolution.
The Solvang City Council decided Monday night to send a letter to California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) asking them to allow a no-cost, opt-out program for people who wanted their smart meters removed.
Australia Power scandal exposed An explosive investigation into the massive mistakes being made with power bills reveals serious flaws that affect nearly every electricity user.
More Smart Meter Snake Oil- Glendale News Opinion “Does anyone with a shred of common sense need another energy consuming gadget to advise them that when they lower temperatures or activate air conditioners, power use will either decline or rise in use? We should be working with what we have — our brain.”
Palo Alto Power surge, raises questions about Smart Meters, “a good example of how sometimes the old way is the good way”.
Man disputes $11,857 bill from PG&E “It may be the biggest PG&E bill in Kern County. A business owner contacted 17 News after PG&E sent him a bill for nearly $12,000 for a piece of farm equipment that hasn’t been running on any electricity for the past three months…” “PG&E can cover up some things with the homeowners. It might be $50 or $75. That stuffs easy,” Paul said. “They can justify the rate changes, but it’s obvious that there’s something wrong with that SmartMeter.”
Power cuts, by remote: TVs, airconditioners and fridges could be switched off remotely by power companies during peak times under plans to rein in households’ demand for electricity.
Ex-CIA chief Slams Smart Grid
Could Hackers Break into Your Electric Meter? | Solar at Home, Scientific American Blog Network
Maine Utility Removed Smart Meter From Home because it interfered with the security system-Restoring the analog took 5 minutes
Santa Barbara City Council votes to send letter to CPUC asking for more research on health impacts. Smart Meters Hit City Hall
Headlines
San Francisco water district installs meters similar to controversial SmartMeters abc7news.com
SmartMeter opponents to seek sheriff recall over enforcement of county moratorium
Smart meters in Sweden: Accommodating people with EHS
B.C. Greens want smart-meter program stopped
San Jose Mercury News editorial: PUC president must resign
Smart Meter Smack Down Utility Companies Blistered from All Sides over Eco-Friendly Energy Meters
Smart Meters Generate Heavy Protest as Santa Barbara County Supervisors Hear from Public
One Person Cited, Another Arrested At Smartmeter Protest KTVU News
Google Kills off Health, Power Meters
Woman arrested for allegedly blocking SmartMeter installation
Opponents of PG&E ‘smart meters’ stand firm- LA TIMES
PG&E to replace 1600 defective SmartMeters that inflated customers’ electric bills
Lake County to file CPUC protest against PG&E’s opt-out plan
Smart Meters interfere with town radios Canada
Do Smart Meters interfere with Alarms?
Smart Meters Not So Smart- Critics Say Chicago TV
Monterey County Board OK’s Smart Meter OPT OUT Letter
Tehama County Supes take Stand on Smart Meters
Editorial: Smart Meters are a Dumb Idea: Bureaucrats shouldn’t have control over the nation’s appliances
Study Shows Greater Security Concerns for Smart Meters
Migraines, Smart Meters and My New Movie About EMF’s
Pacific Grove to Send resolution against smart meters to the PUC
Lake County Bans PG&E Smart Meters!
Battle Over Smart Meters in SLO Heats Up
Foes of smart meters resist and Insist: Health effects are real
Health Risks Could Switch Off Home Energy Meters (Middle east news journal warning to investors about Smart Grid pushback)
Report: Smart Meters Could Exceed FCC’s radiation Limits
Smart Meter Made Me Sick, Mesa Woman Claims
WOMAN BUYS $4K AD TO PROTEST PG&E SMART METERS
Smart Meter Shock: electrical hazards found in 3500 homes (Australia)
Safety Fears Plague Smart Meters
New Gloucester Sending PUC letter About Smart Meters (4th city in Maine)
Woman Gets Smart Meter Shock
Are Smart Meters a Smart Idea? Some people say they create health problems, reports Channel 4, San Diego
Wyoming residents intimidated Residents blast smart meters
Some residents “Smart” from higher electric bills
Mendocino County Supervisors OK smart meter moratorium!
PUC- Smart Grid Tab- Unreasonable (Colorado)
Wireless Smart Meters Face Continued Obstacles in California
Calif. Agency Mulls ‘Opt Out’ or Wired Substitutes as Fallout Over Smart Meters Persists
Smart Meter Report: More Questions Than Answers
State Report on Safety of Smart Meters Does Little to Quell Debate
PG&E Replaces Corte Madera Resident’s Smart Meter after Complaints
BREAKING NEWS: Grandmother Arrested During Smart Meter Protest
Health Concerns over Smart Electric Meters Gain traction in Calif
47,000 ‘Smart’ Meters pulled in Texas
Tea Party Group Decries SmartMeters
NEW YORK TIMES: Calif. County Criminalizes Smart Meter Installations
Marin County Supes OK Moratorium on Smart Meters
State Utility Regulators to Consider Allowing Smart Meter Opt Out (Maine)
Smart Meters Could be Abandoned (Victoria Australia)
Town rejected 4.3 million Federal grant money Smart Meters Turned down in Westerville ,Ohio
Cheyenne Resident refuses Smart Meter
Should the wireless sector be concerned with increasing EMF militancy?
Two West Marin women arrested in blockade of Smart Meter trucks.
Smart Meter protestors Rap About Issue
UpFront: PG&E goes CIA on Smart Meter critics
Consumer Federation Slams Utilities on Smart Meter Privacy Position
SmartMeter Opponents stage San Rafael protest amid revelations PG&E monitored Marin critics on internet
PG&E documents reveal that snooping executive widely shared his findings
Why Smart People are Suspicious of Smart Meters
Santa Rosa SmartMeter protest closes PG&E office
Huffman Introduces Bill to Require Smart Meter Opt-Out
Smart Meter software company found guilty of data theft
Scarborough Maine votes for a smart meter moratorium
Tea Party, CU Debate Smart Meters
SmartMeter Revolt Persists
PG&E’S Smart Meter Program Takes More Hits
Smart Meter Protestors Block Trucks in Rohnert Park
PG&E Considers Smart Meter Compromise
Fairfax Begins Abatement Against PG&E
Sanford wants halt to smart meter installations
Outcry over installation of Smart Meters Growing louder
CPUC Division Pushes for Smart Meter Health Probe
‘Smart’ Electric Meter Draws Complaints of Inaccuracy
Second Maine town imposes moratorium on Smart Meters
PG&E Peeping Ralph Resigns
PG&E exec who snooped on Smart Meter foes resigns
PG&E suspends exec who used alias in online group
PG&E executive snoops on Smart Meter Critics
PG&E SmartMeter exec tries to infiltrate activists
Burden should be on the CMP to show smart meters are safe
How to Hack the Power Grid for fun and profit
Smart Meter Program Headed for Disaster
Critics Voice Concerns about new electric meters (activists in the State of Maine oppose Smart Meters for health reasons)
PG&E gets negative energy in Fairfax
Watsonville issues ticket to PG&E for installing a smart meter
Watsonville fines PG&E for installing smart meters
PG&E Smart Meter issues extend past monthly bills
New data proves smart meter scheme costing everyone more (Canada)
Moratorium Banning SmartMeters in SCC passed (Santa Cruz County, article includes ordinance pdf)
San Anselmo Votes to ban Smart Meters in town
SmartMeter Protest shuts down Capitola business
PG&E Smart Meters make home appliances go snap crackle pop
Readers, SmartMeters interfere with baby monitors and other household gadgets
Ross Council supports PG&E SmartMeters delay
Watsonville joins Smart Meter fight in a big way
Belvedere officials, residents criticize early smart meter installations
Protesters to hand ‘dumb meter’ to PG&E’s Darbee SF Examiner
PG&E CEO confronted by Smart Meter Opponents at Forum KTVU News
Stop Smart Meters Blog, Sorry Darbee, No Opting Out!
Fairfax Votes to BAN Smart Meters
Former CIA Director- Electricity Grid Vulnerability tops National Security Concerns
Residents Express Concern over Smart Meter Radiation (ABC TV- CPUC protest)
HAWAII REJECTS SMART GRID TECHNOLOGY
City to PG&E: Delay Meter Installations (Sausalito)
Smart Meter Forum Encourages Citizen Action
PG&E Smart Meters Raise Concerns in Petaluma
Capitola to Ask for a Smart Meter Moratorium
KION Smart Meter Debate Hits Scotts Valley, Capitola
Marin County Board of Supervisors call for a moratorium and public hearings on health and safety impacts Marin to PG&E “Smart Meters a Dumb Idea”
In this news story: 4 children died, after candles were used to light a home- which burned down- where PG&E had remotely disconnected power using the Smart Meter. Power shutoffs increase with rise in SmartMeters
Reporter Caitlin Esch East Bay Express well researched article: Are Smart Meters Dangerous Too?
PG&E SmartMeter Critics Protest in SF
Maryland Regulators deny smart meters
Vacumn Shop Fire Raises Smart Meter Questions
Marin Real Estate Agents Call for a Moratorium on Smart Meters
No Prime Time Meters- letter to the editor, (Smart Meter trouble in S. CA )
Santa Cruz Mayor, Smart Meters Not too Bright
New PG&E Meters Raise Concerns The City of Berkeley calls for a moratorium
NBC Editorial: Smart Meters Rollout Not So Smart
Smart Meter Program Signals Health Concerns for Customers: Exposure to Electromagnetic Radiation 24/7 throughout our homes The Green Team
Say No to Smart Meters! Why Smart Meters are Dangerous and What You Can Do to Protect Your Family’s Health. Teens Turning Green
A New Advocacy Crisis: Radio frequency Sickness National Council on Independent Living
Smart Meters- A Dumb Idea? Transition West Marin
Residents outline concerns about new PG&E meters
Smart meter concerns PG&E says wattever
PG&E customers in Mountain View refuse to pay bill over smart meter
Benefit of Smart Meters in Doubt
Oncor Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Smart Meters
Money Trumps Security in Smart Meter rollouts- Experts Say
Battle in California Over Potential Health Risks of Smart Meters
Third Texas lawmaker Urges a Smart Meter Moratorium
San Francisco seeks immediate Halt to PG&E’s Smart Meter Program
Man Refuses Smart Meter Installation
Fire Prone Meter Boxes Causing Concern
Smart Meters raise Ire of Some PG&E Customers
Oakland neighborhood resisting Smart Meters
Smart Meter Forum, hosted by Sonoma County on April 21, 2010- See the KTVU News Video
Concerns over smart meter security
PG&E acknowledges SmartMeter Problems (over 43,000)
State lawmakers attack SmartMeter billing practices
The Scandal of PG&E’s New Meters
Experiment raises questions about SmartMeters
CBS 5 Investigates Smart Meter Complaints
Sebastopol crowd decries PG&E SmartMeters
Texas utilities admit billing errors with Smart Meters
CA State Senator Florez Demands PG&E Explain Smart Meter Problems
New “Smart Meters” for Energy Use Put Privacy at Risk
Field-Test Smart Meters Before More Installed
‘Smart’ meters have security holes
PG&E’s New Power meters? Here come the Dumb Meters
Tracking Electric Use Could allow Utilities to Track You
Terrorists ‘could hijack new meters to cause blackouts’
PG&E Smart Meter ‘Rebellion’ Growing
PG&E customer refuses to take smart meter, locks up old meter
Some shocked by high electric bills balme Oncor’s ‘smart meters’
Battle heats up over Southern California Gas smart meter proposal
A Rough Rollout for Smart Meters in Texas
Fear and Loathing in Sebastopol
Dominion’s smart meter rollout delayed in Northern Virginia
Sebastopol residents lash out against PG&E plan for ‘smart meters’
“Horror stories include bill increases and threats to shut off power”
Realtor Sounds Billing Alarm over Smart Meters
Transmitting Smart Meters Pose a Serious Threat to Public health
Does the “Smart Grid” Have a Smartest-Guys-in-the-Room Problem?
Class Action Accuses PGE of Overcharges
PGE customer questions intelligence of new smart meters
San Francisco fighting PGE over Smart Meters
New ‘smart’ electrical meters raise privacy issues
How Smart Are PG&E’s Proposed “Smart Meters”?
Security Pros Question Deployment of Smart Meters