Coalition to Stop Smart Meters Updates will resume June 04, 2016
[BC Hydro – Data – FortisBC – Wireless] FortisBC outage info coming by Nicholas Johansen – Castanet – June 03, 2016 :
– http://www.castanet.net/news/BC/167170/FortisBC-outage-info-coming
[Bills – Thunder Bay, Ontario] Hydro One bill for $6,300 shocks Thunder Bay camp owner – Reg Freund ‘changed his shorts’ after he opened the bill by Jeff Walters – CBC News – June 03, 2016:
– http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/thunder-hydro-one-billing-1.3613274
(….Timing coincidence
Freund said although he cannot explain exactly why his bill jumped, he has a theory, and it has to do with the installation of a smart meter. His camp has patchy cell phone service, and that poor signal leads to a bad connection between his hydro meter and Hydro One.
“About 31 months ago thereabouts, hydro went in and changed over a lot of meters to the smart meter. That seems to be when my problems started. Up until then, I never had a problem.”
Tiziana Baccega-Rosa, a spokesperson for Hydro One, said the utility does have some customers with smart meters that do not properly connect to the system. She said upgrades are constantly being made….
The Hydro One ombudsman said it has lodged over 600 complaints since its office opened in mid-March of 2016….
I go to the mail about two weeks ago, and I’ve got another Hydro One bill. January, February, March, OK, the quarterly one is due. I open the doggone thing up, I’ve got another bill for $871.”
Freund said he knows there’s something wrong with his account after he received his last bill.
It’s because he wasn’t even at camp, and the power was turned off during those months.)
[Bills – Costs – Ontario] Liberals attacking Ontario’s watchdogs – Toronto Sun – June 02, 2016:
– http://www.torontosun.com/2016/06/02/liberals-attacking-ontarios-watchdogs
(….After auditor general Bonnie Lysyk released her 2014 annual report that was critical of the Liberals’ disastrously implemented “smart meters” program, Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli suggested Lysyk didn’t understand the electricity file, because it’s complicated.
This from a career politician who trained as a lawyer, absurdly attacking the credibility of Lysyk, a former senior executive at Manitoba Hydro.
In 2010, opposition parties accused the Liberals of mounting a smear campaign against then ombudsman Andre Marin by selectively leaking confidential information about his office in order to give themselves the political cover not to renew his contract for another five-year term, because they were upset with his criticisms of the government.
Eventually the Liberals relented and Marin, now suing the government for wrongful dismissal, had his contract renewed….)
Egypt, Hungary discuss ICT future cooperation – SIS State Information Service – June 03, 2016:
– http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/Templates/Articles/tmpArticleNews.aspx?ArtID=104234#.V1IX7mahSEI
[Smart Grids – Romania] Tech trends in Romania: What is the future of the energy market by Ovidiu Posirca – BR Business Review – June 03, 2016:
– http://www.business-review.eu/news/tech-trends-in-romania-what-is-the-future-of-the-energy-market-107682
[Bills – HAN – Opt-out – Pre-paid – UK] Smart Meter Update – May 2016 by Addleshaw Goddard LLP – Lexology – June 03, 2016:
– http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=104abfa1-419a-4eda-ae85-79dfd04aefbe
(….Even though they have taken a year to decide that they will probably scrap the DCC opt-out, DECC seem reluctant to bin it altogether. They might keep it if they find robust evidence that services equivalent to DCC will be forthcoming, or that a lack of interoperability would not stop businesses from switching energy supplier, and so they have issued a new consultation seeking further evidence on the likely impacts of retaining the opt-out and view on the regulatory changes that would be needed if they decide to remove it….)
[Bills – Costs – Maryland, USA] State regulators agree to another BGE rate increase, though less than utility sought by Natalie Sherman and Luke Broadwater – Baltimore Sun – June 03, 2016:
– http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-bge-partial-rate-increase-20160603-story.html
(….”Although we find that BGE has shown the smart grid system to be cost-beneficial, we are extremely concerned about the level of increase that ratepayers will experience,” the commission wrote in its order. “We believe it is appropriate to take steps to ease rate shock to the fullest extent possible.”…
Rate increases over the last six years have swelled the average customer’s monthly bill by more than $15.
“We are concerned that we are reaching a tipping point,” commissioners Harold D. Williams and Anne E. Hoskins wrote….
“We hope to be convinced that smart meters are, in fact, cost-effective and beneficial to ratepayers,” they wrote. “In the future, we would expect to see BGE and all utilities come to the Commission to offer rate reductions to offset the very real and very significant costs of [advanced meter infrastructure].”…)
[IoT – Privacy – Security – USA] FTC Warns of Security and Privacy Risks in IoT Devices by Dennis Fisher – On the Wire – June 03, 2016:
– https://www.onthewire.io/ftc-warns-of-security-and-privacy-risks-in-iot-devices/
(The Federal Trade Commission has sent comments to the Department of Commerce, outlining a list of concerns about the security and privacy of connected and embedded devices, saying that while many IoT devices have tangible benefits for consumers, “these devices also create new opportunities for unauthorized persons to exploit vulnerabilities”….
“IoT devices are capable of collecting, transmitting, and sharing highly sensitive information.”…)
&
BEFORE THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS & INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION – In the Matter of The Benefits, Challenges, and Potential Roles for the Government in Fostering the Advancement of the Internet of Things – Docket No.160331306-6306-01 – Comments of the Staff of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection and Office of Policy Planning – June 02, 2016:
– https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/advocacy_documents/comment-staff-bureau-consumer-protection-office-policy-planning-national-telecommunications/160603ntiacomment.pdf
(….VI. CONCLUSION
Staff hopes that this information, as expanded in greater detail in its 2015 Internet of Things Report [- https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2015/01/ftc-report-internet-things-urges-companies-adopt-best-practices], has been of assistance in furthering NTIA’s survey of the IoT environment and the impact of IoT devices on the privacy and security of consumers and their devices. The FTC continues to devote substantial resources in this area and looks forward to working with NTIA to foster competition and innovation in the IoT marketplace while protecting consumers.)
[Electric – Gas – Water] Verizon Launches IoT Solution For Water Utilities by Bailey McCann – CivSource – June 3, 2016:
– https://civsourceonline.com/2016/06/03/verizon-launches-iot-solution-for-water-utilities/
Stop Smart Meters BC (Salt Spring)
– https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-Smart-Meters-BC-Salt-Spring/207803029263762
(daily postings of Smart Meters Articles & Reports and Letters & Videos)
