Smart Meter Citizen Science and Information: Light on Current Websites
December 2024: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, parts of New York, and New Mexico are among the jurisdictions where smart meter deployment will be taking place in the near future. This is an evolving document and effort geared for ratepayers facing impending deployments, especially in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, but potentially of use for anyone, including investigative journalists.
Information about smart meter issues, risks, and harm does not appear readily in web-based searches, and there are many dead links.
For example, a court order was required in California for the public to gain access to accurate information about the number of transmissions from the meters.
But unless someone knew the history, they would not know about this link below, or the early work of the EMF Safety Network and Stop Smart Meters, both in California.
By way of comparison, a newly installed meter in Eversource territory in Massachusetts was measured to be transmitting every 30 seconds. Companies are still not forthcoming with the information about transmissions.
Here is a video of a meter transmitting in New York:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYXMlat-Qo
Resources; RI AND MA
Rhode Island: Several groups concerned about smart meters including toxicinfo.org and Rhode Islanders for Safe Technology have consolidated. The facebook page is here. Rhode Islanders for Safe Technology has created this new updated informational brochure www.ma4safetech.org/s/RI4SafeTech-Smart-Meter-BROCHURE-2024.pdf also available in Spanish.
Massachusetts Sites – Active: SAFE Scientific Alliance for Education (Sheffield and tri-state area), Last Tree Laws (Holyoke) and Hilltown Health (Pioneer Valley), and more recently, MA4SafeTechnology and Understanding EMFs continue to cover the MA smart meter issue.
Understanding EMFs includes the 10-year history of MA-based legislative advocacy for a smart meter opt out bill, derailed by the Legislature, and a summary of EMF Points of Confusion vs. Fact, courtesy Cece Doucette.
Note: At one point, there were a number of groups in Massachusetts offering outreach and education about smart meters. They laid a strong foundation but over time, the expense of running sites and the end of the controversial NGrid pilot program resulted in websites being discontinued. Stop Smart Meters Massachusetts (opposing Danvers municipal roll out and state-wide); HaltMAsmartmeters (Wayland and statewide); Worcester Opts Out and WITH Worcester Info Team for Health (Worcester) no longer sustain a web presence, but for many years were at the forefront of the effort to address the risks of deployment. Sandaura’s Blog: The Hum Heard Around the World (Monteray/Berkshires) has been maintained. The Massachusetts Association for the Chemically Injured also serves as an important resource.
Dedicated Smart Meter Groups Maintaining an Active Web Presence, by State:
Generally, websites are much easier to navigate than social media, but many groups have migrated for convenience and cost considerations. This list is primarily searchable websites with valuable historical and current information compiled by volunteers, and not involving sales.
United States:
Arizona: The EI Wellspring Practical Information for Coping with Chemical and Electrical Hypersensitivity has an excellent overview of smart meter issues, including a guide for understanding the different types of meters. This is a very good place to start for those new to the issue.
California: EMF Safety Network includes Smart Meters, Smart Meter Complaints, PG&E Smart Meters Violate FCC RF Safety Conditions, Scientists Challenge CCST Conclusions, Smart Meter Questions, Structure Report: Smart meter conflict of interest and cover up of skyrocketing bills, Smart Meter Fires and Explosions. Smart Meter Health Complaints. (Active, covering a multitude of issues) Smart Meters – EMF Safety Network Read about customers’ smart meter health complaints, which include sleep problems, headaches, nausea, anxiety, heart palpitations, tinnitus and ear pain, concentration and memory problems, dizziness, immune, nervous and hormonal system impacts
California: Smart Meter Harm
“The 50-page paper “Overview: Fire and Electrical Hazards from ‘Smart’, Wireless, PLC, and Digital Utility Meters” is now available free for downloading and printing. It provides information from experts on utility meters used in the U.S. and Canada. The report “Analysis: Smart Meter and Smart Grid Problems – Legislative Proposal” is available free to the public for downloading and printing. This 173-page report, released in 2012 by health and environmental advocate Nina Beety, has extensive referenced information on the many problems and risks of the Smart Meter program known at that time, with information from state, national, and international resources. Investigation and admissions by the industry since 2012 continue to substantiate these serious problems, providing a searing indictment on regulatory and legislative officials who have failed to halt Smart Meter deployments.”
California: Center for Electrosmog Prevention
Illinois: Smart Grid Awareness (highly recommended, comprehensive, searchable)
Urgent Need for Smart Meter Health and Safety Legislation | Smart Grid Awareness
Dr. Samuel Milham: “Smart meters are a public health hazard.” | Smart Grid Awareness
Smart Meters Should Do No Harm
Overall Health Impact of a Smart Meter Deployment | Smart Grid Awareness
The Health Argument Against Wireless Smart Meters | Smart Grid Awareness
Health Risks Associated with Smart Meter Wireless Emissions
Smart Meters – EMF Safety Network Read about customers smart meter health complaints, which include sleep problems, headaches, nausea, anxiety, heart palpitations, tinnitus and ear pain, concentration and memory problems, dizziness, immune, nervous and hormonal system impacts
Maine: Maine Coalition to Stop Smart Meters includes historical information about lawsuits, health, research
(And there was also this issue, where the entire grid went down in a storm. The meter technology is promoted as a strategy to reduce outages. Reducing storm outages requires trees, trucks, and training, not digital meters that act like computers. In addition, the smart grid remains susceptible to EMPs,)
Michigan: Smart Meter Education Network
New Mexico: Cellular Phone Task Force’s New Mexicans for Utility Safety (active)
For the past nine years our organization, New Mexicans for Utility Safety (NMUS), has kept open the door labeled “Wireless technology is killing all life”. We need a lawyer, now, to prevent this door from finally slamming shut on us all. New Mexico is the only state in the US, and possibly the only jurisdiction in the world, that has so far prevented the installation of smart meters on the basis of health and environmental protection. [] On October 17, 2024, the NMPRC issued its Final Order on Public Service Company of New Mexico’s (PNM’s) latest application for smart meters. In its Order, it both approved the installation of 550,000 smart meters in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and other cities, and issued a threat to NMUS: henceforth the NMPRC will fine NMUS up to $100,000 for each document submitted by NMUS that mentions either health or environment.
New York: NYSUMA New York Safe Utility Meter Association (active, opt out legislation & deployment pending) See 2024 summary Here, More up to date resources Here (active)
By 2010, utility customers began reporting electromagnetic injuries caused by digital
meters: Customers have documented reports of headaches, memory and cognitive problems, intestinal, hormone and eye problems, insomnia, heart arrhythmia and palpitations, ringing in the ears, exhaustion, skin rashes, vertigo, tingling in extremities, nose bleeds, burning sensations and more. As a result, some victims of these injuries are now unable to tolerate RF radiation from transmitting and non-transmitting digital meters and also from other electronic and wireless devices. For them, the ability to choose an analog meter is imperative.
Here is a video of a meter transmitting in New York:
Canada: Coalition to Stop Smart Meters in BC has transitioned to: https://citizensforsafertech.ca and has created accurate and useful databases for Smart Meter Fires and Smart Meter Opt Out Fees. (This is more accurate than the Aug 2016 list compiled by the National Conference of State Legislators.)
Advocacy Group Directories:
Americans for Responsible Technology maintains a list of Safe Technology contacts including some Facebook groups dedicated to the smart meter issue.
Stop Smart Meters in California maintained a list of smart meter activist contacts/groups from across the country and internationally. Many areas have already been deployed, and/or the group has transitioned to a broader focus such as 5G or Safe Tech, but the list provides an idea of the scope of concern and informed citizen activism over the last fifteen years focused on smart meters: https://stopsmartmeters.org/frequently-asked-questions/contacts-database/
Smart Meter Documentary Film Take Back Your Power
Ohio; Although not a website, one of the most recent investigations into smart meters is featured in this interview by Keith Cutter of EMF Remedy with Sean Polacik.
6 More Reasons to Beware of SMART Meters, Sean Polacik – YouTube
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18EQxI2p5sF-1x0TcpHCUU-1rEBLC0elo/view?usp=sharing
Some Groups That Have Been Speaking Truth to Smart Meters Issues:
Alliance for Natural Health Smart meters – the smarter choice for whom? | Alliance For Natural Health
Building Biology Smart Meters Factsheet High-frequency Electromagnetic Emissions
Children’s Health Defense General 1 — Stop 5G Challenge A Smart Meter Mandate
Environmental Health Trust Health Risks Posed by Smartmeters – Environmental Health Trust
Manhattan Neighbors for Safer Telecommunications
Organic Consumers Must-See Documentary Reveals Dangers of Smart Meters – Organic Consumers
Physicians for Safe Technology Physicians for Safe Technology | Smart Meter Radiation Health Effects
Safe Tech International
Weston Price Foundation Smart Meters—not so Smart – The Weston A. Price Foundation
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