[4G LTE – 5G Microcells / Small Cells Antennas Public Right-of-way Siting Legislation – Alphabet Inc. Waymo – Analogs – AT&T – AVs Autonomous Vehicles – BCE – BC Hydro Tariff – Bob Nichols – Buckingham Research Group – Cancer – Carol Bellringer – Cell Phones – Cell Towers – Consumer Watchdog – CSA – Data – Doug Ducey – Edward Markey – EHS Microwave Radiation Sickness – ENCQOR – Ericsson Canada – Fixed Wireless – GM Cruise – Greg Reimer – Health – IoT – ISED – Katrine Conroy – NHTSA Investigation – Off the Grid – Oona McOuat & Sean Arthur Joyce Letters re Smart Meter Opt-out Fees & Meter Choices Program – Patrick Colbeck – Patrick Wruck, BCUC – Paul Wieringa – Peter Milobar – Privacy – Precautionary Principle – RFR – Rich Coleman – Rogers – Ronald Elcock – Safety – Security – Self-driving Vehicle Death (Elaine Herzberg) – Smartphones – Smart Cities – Smart Meter Fires Report by Sharon Noble – Studies – Ted Olynyk – Telus – Tesla – Uber Technologies Inc. Fatal Accident (Volvo XC90 SUV) – UL – Wi-Fi in Schools – Write to Doctor Mona Nemer, Ginette Petitpas-Taylor, Julie Payette, Navdeep Bains, & MPs re 5G Research | Salt Spring Island & Vancouver, BC – Toronto, Ontario – Quebec – Canada – China – Japan – South Korea – Tempe, Arizona & California & Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA] & (videos)
1) Hundreds of millions $$ to be spent on developing 5G but not one cent for research on possible health effects. There is mention of auctioning the 600 MHz frequency band it seems, as part of this 5G project, and will get billions of dollars for it. We need to push for some of that money to be spent on research to determine if 5G technology is safe before it is implemented.
I hope you will consider writing to:
– your MP [https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/z/canada-contact-e-mail-lists/]
– ISED Minister Bains Hon. Navdeep Bains <Navdeep.Bains@parl.gc.ca>
– Minister of Health <Ginette.PetitpasTaylor@parl.gc.ca>
– Chief Science Advisor Dr. Mona Nemer <chiefsciadvisor@canada.ca>
– Governor General Julie Payette contact info at: https://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=325
To have the greatest impact, please consider sending separate emails to each individual instead of cc’ing them. Or sending a paper copy. I believe it is post-free to your MP but I don’t know about the others.
(click on photos to enlarge)
Feds, Ontario and Quebec to invest $200-million in linked network of 5G research labs
“The federal government and the provinces of Ontario and Quebec are investing $200-million in a series of linked laboratories for 5G technology, hoping to spur the development of Canadian innovations to run on the next generation of wireless networks.
Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains announced the commitment Monday morning in Ottawa, saying a group of private partners led by Ericsson Canada will match the government funding, for a total investment of $400-million over five years….
The 5G networks will use new types of spectrum, the radio waves used to carry cellular signals, and Canada’s federal government is responsible for managing spectrum as a public resource.
Ottawa has launched several consultations and is expected to release a final framework for an auction in the 600-megahertz frequency band in the coming weeks. But the government has yet to release a comprehensive timeline for when it will make new spectrum bands available to operators.
“We’re still on schedule,” Mr. Bains said of the government’s 5G spectrum plans, adding that Canadians will benefit from a number of different types of spectrum by 2021…
He also addressed concerns raised by wireless carriers about barriers to deploying 5G networks quickly. The new spectrum 5G can carry a lot of data but cannot travel far, meaning operators will need to install thousands more small-cell sites, which are smaller, low-power versions of cell towers. This makes real estate extremely important and carriers will need permission to build their equipment on streetlamps, the sides of buildings and billboards, for example.
“We have been very clear that we want to have a robust [approval] process, a process that defends the public interest, but at the same time encourages more innovation and more investment,” Mr. Bains said. “We’re willing to work with the carriers to look at where we can reduce and eliminate any process or timelines that exist that prevent those investments from happening.””
2) Woman struck and killed by a self-driving car. As one member said, hopefully, the investigation will not suggest that having more antennae would have prevented it.
Woman dies in self-driving Uber crash
“A woman crossing a street was killed by an Uber self-driving sport utility vehicle in Arizona, police said on Monday, leading the ride services company to suspend its autonomous vehicle program across the United States and Canada.
The accident in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe marked the first fatality from a self-driving vehicle, which are being tested around the globe, and could derail efforts to fast-track the introduction of the new technology.”
3) Some good letters below. In the letter from Patrick Wruck, he says that BC Hydro could not install an analog because they have to obey the Tariff. In truth, BC Hydro writes the Tariff and the BCUC approves and finalizes it – at least it has with regard to the smeters and other issues with which I’ve been involved. The Tariff gives BC Hydro cover. It can say it is forced to do things when, in reality, they are writing the Tariff to allow them to do what they want. The Tariff is written to help and protect BC Hydro far more than it is written to protect us and our rights. I would encourage you to read it sometime and you will be upset by some of the policies/regulations, etc. in it.
Letters:
From: Oona McOuat (name given with permission)
Sent: March 17, 2018
To: paul.wieringa@gov.bc.ca
Cc: bcauditor@bcauditor.com
Subject: Your Review of BC Hydro & Smart Meter Opt Out Fees
Dear Mr. Wieringa,
I understand you are considering reviewing the opt-out fees BC Hydro charges customers who have chosen to keep their analog meter, or who have had the radio turned off on their smart meter.
I, reluctantly, fall into the 2nd category – reluctantly because I would have retained an analog meter if I had been “allowed” to by BC Hydro, as I was initially promised. I purchased a home in August 2013 partly based on a verbal commitment from BC Hydro’s Meter Choices Program that said that because I had officially opted out of having a smart meter, I would be granted an analog meter upon purchasing my new home. Unfortunately, after much hullaballoo, this agreement was not honoured, and I was offered a Radio-off meter as a consolation prize.
(An email to me from the BCUC’s Patrick Wruck about this meter fiasco, along with a rather lengthy correspondence between Mr. Wruck and me, follows this message.)
Why was keeping an analog meter important to me? I exhibit early signs of electro-hypersensitivity – I cannot use a smart phone without getting a headache. This, combined with the peer-reviewed science that shows that the radio frequency radiation emitted by smart meters causes biological harm, convinced me that having a smart meter on my bedroom wall could very well push my body into a greater state of sensitivity.
Other research warned of the harm RFR causes pollinators and other wildlife. In addition, I was, and continue to be, deeply concerned about the fire hazard posed by smart meters. (See Sharon Noble’s excellent report).
My husband and I considered going off the grid rather than having a smart meter, but the cost of buying a new home did not afford us the extra money needed to do this.
I recognize that the opt-out fee we must pay BC Hydro – $40 every two months, or $240 a year – is much more than what the meter reader earns to come and read our meter for 5 minutes 6 times a year. (I live on Salt Spring and a lot of us here have opted out which means there is not much travel distance between the meter reader’s “ports of call”.) In truth, we are not paying a justifiable fee, but a penalty and a punishment for choosing safety and well-being over a business plan that does not put people first.
I do hope you encourage the review of BC Hydro’s opt-out fees, and that these fees are adjusted to reflect the rates other hydro companies have deemed to be equitable. Mostly, I wish I could exercise true “Meter Choice” and get my safe, reliable, and accurate analog meter back.
With Best Wishes,
Oona
= = =
Dear Ms. McOuat,
Thank you for your follow-up email to the BC Utilities Commission regarding your complaint. Commission staff reviewed the correspondence submitted by you and BC Hydro and provide the following summary and evaluation.
In response to a request from Commission staff, BC Hydro provided a response to your request to have an analogue meter installed at your new residence where a smart meter is currently installed. Given that you are an eligible Meter Choices Customer you are only eligible to have a radio-off meter installed at your new residence in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the Electric Tariff.
When you contacted BC Hydro in August 2013, the Terms and Conditions related to the Meter Choices Program had not been finalized by government. As such, it appears as though you received inaccurate information about your eligibility to retain an analogue meter at your new residence. While this is unfortunate, BC Hydro is required to comply with the Terms and Conditions of the Electric Tariff and cannot apply those terms differently to individual customers. Additionally, BC Hydro cannot charge a fee other than the fees set out in the Tariff. For more information, the Terms and Conditions related to the Meter Choices Program are contained in sections 4.2.1 – 4.2.5. The specific charges are listed under section 11.3. The Electric Tariff is available at: http://www.bchydro.com/about/planning_regulatory/tariff_filings.html
Given that you are moving to a residence with a smart meter installed, the correct fee for set-up is $77.60 and the the exit fee is $55, for an overall fee of $132.60. The monthly fee is also $20 per month.
Ms. McOuat, I appreciate you bringing your concerns about the service you received from BC Hydro to my attention. Although the Commission is not directly involved in BC Hydro’s internal business practices, such as customer service, we do regularly pass along feedback and suggestions from customers to the appropriate departments within the company. I will be sure to bring your concerns to BC Hydro’s customer service department and work with the company to address the importance of providing correct information to customers about the Meter Choices Program.
After reviewing the information Commission staff are satisfied that BC Hydro is following the Electric Tariff and the Utilities Commission Act. Accordingly, your file is now closed. Thank you for contacting the Commission.
Regards,
Patrick Wruck
Customer Relations Analyst
British Columbia Utilities Commission
6th Floor, 900 Howe Street, Box 250
Vancouver, B.C. V6Z 2N3
Website: www.bcuc.com
Phone: 604.660.4700 | Fax: 604.660.1102 | Toll Free: 1.800.663.1385
_________________________________________________________________________
From: Arthur Joyce (name given with permission)
Sent: March 18, 2018
To: paul.wieringa@gov.bc.ca; <katrine.conroy.mla@leg.bc.ca>
Subject: BC Hydro smart meter opt-outs
Honourable Mr. Wieringa:
Since a review of BC Hydro has been announced, I felt it important to email you. (Copied to my MLA Katrine Conroy.) My partner and I have been in the opt-out program since it was first announced in 2011. In fact, as soon as we heard about the ‘smart’ meter program and did our research on the potential health impacts of a radio-frequency transmitter on our home, we wrote BC Hydro notifying them that we would not accept one. We faithfully made our opt-out payments from day one. (Excuse me for lacking precise dates; I can supply these if required but it will take some research into our files.)
At first we were assured that no BC Hydro [BCH] customer would be required to accept a ‘smart’ meter. BCH VP Greg Reimer promised in October 2011 that, “If they don’t want us to install a smart meter, we’re not installing a smart meter.” This was reiterated in January 2012 by BCH spokesman Ted Olynyk: “If you don’t want it, simply put a note on your meter to that effect, and Hydro will bypass your home.” This promise was reiterated a third time in January 2013 by Energy Minister Rich Coleman. These all turned out to be lies.
BCH has shown by its actions toward our household that it was quite prepared to force us to accept, if not an active ‘smart’ meter, at least a ‘radio-off’ meter. This is how it played out for us: sometime in 2015, a BCH contractor showed up at our door with another analog meter; we had been informed by letter that he would arrive. The rationale was that the old analog meter’s inspection tag had expired and we were simply being fitted with a different analog meter with an up-to-date CSA tag. We had no problem with that and allowed the installation to take place, as we were paying for the right to keep an analog.
However, we had assumed that, like the older analogs, once its tag was updated it would be good for another 10-25 years. The old one had been in continuous use since its installation on the house long before we purchased it in 2006 and had yet to have any problems. Again, BCH clearly played us for fools for trusting them. Within about 18 months of the ‘new’ analog being installed, we awoke one morning to a sound on the end of the house where the meter sits on the outside wall. By the time I got outside, it was too late: the BCH contractor had already removed our analog and replaced it with a ‘radio-off’ meter, against our wishes. He told us that the inspection tag on the analog had already expired. I told him to leave the property at once. Although BCH had given us notice of this action by letter, we had informed them promptly that by no means would we accept the radio-off meter under any circumstances, and we had a notice posted by our meter to that effect. Hence the stealth with which the contractor acted.
As a result of this incident, we were forced last year (2017) to pay an electrician to install a new power pole on our property and move the radio-off meter away from the house. That cost us over $3,000. However, given the risk of smart meter-caused fires, we felt it was worth the cost. And based on BCH’s track record of lies and broken promises, we no longer trust them not to quietly activate the ‘radio-off’ function without informing us, exposing us to unacceptable levels of RF on a 24/7 basis. At least if it catches fire, as so many of them have done, it will only burn down the pole, not our home.
For evidence of fires started by ‘smart’ meters, see Sharon Noble’s report https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/bcuc-smart-meter-fires-the-failure-to-protect/. In our village, as with many other communities, directly after a fire gutted a local business the smart meter was removed — before a fire marshal could investigate whether the meter was the cause of the fire.
Astonishingly — and, one would think, illegally — this is BCH policy. As you know, ‘smart’ meters in B.C. are not approved by CSA or UL. Perhaps if they were, and if installers were properly trained, there would be fewer devastating fires.
I apologize for the lengthy letter, but felt you should know the details of our situation. Our account is registered under the name XX, account #xxxxxx.
Sean Arthur Joyce
_________________________________________________________________________
Sent: March 18, 2018
To: Milobar.MLA, Peter <peter.milobar.mla@leg.bc.ca>
Subject: small cell wireless
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkDDQqDVsbk&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMnLZiMMfGI
Dear Mr. Milobar
Please watch the above short videos which speak to the health concerns of the wireless technology and its latest proposed innovations. I reluctantly moved from my hometown to a more remote area with a view to the Precautionary Approach, in light of the fact that I have 3 friends who are EHS [electrohypersensitive] and one former colleague and friend who has since died. Our son, who lives in Vancouver, was diagnosed with cancer in 2016; there has been no cancer in our family previous to this, apart from my grandmother, who was a smoker. We have had a smart meter forced upon us, though we paid the extortion fees for our analog for several years. Please take the time to inform yourself of the health issues (if not the safety, security and privacy issues) of smart meters, and the danger we are putting our youth in, with Wi-Fi in the schools. You are in a position to have some influence, if only you use it in the right way.
Sincerely,
X
Sharon Noble
Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters
“An activist is someone who cannot help but fight for something. That person is not usually motivated by a need for power, or money, or fame, but in fact driven slightly mad by some injustice, some cruelty, some unfairness – So much so that he or she is compelled by some moral engine to act to make it better.”
~ Eve Ensler