A bill introduced on January 3rd by New York Sen. Kevin Parker would allow customers to opt out of installing Smart meter’ technology. Without question this is a critical bill to move forward and get passed. What this bill does not appear to list are the Smart Water Meters although the criteria designating this technology stated under this bill would qualify for inclusion. As of now the bill list meters related to electric or gas corporations. Smart Water Meters do need to get included. Writing and calling Senator Parker, contact Senator Parker’s Office, and all member of the energy committee to support and suggest the addition of smart water meters to the bill. Requesting one’s representative to co-sponsor would strengthen the chance to get out committee. As of this posting the list of members of the Energy Committees may or may not correctly reflect (updated) the 2018 members. Links for the both the NY Senate or Assembly: New York Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee and the Assembly Standing Committee on Energy. Having the ability to get removed or prevent the installation of any smart meter is essential. As more understand the connection of so many confirmed health impacts that these devices create and the invasive technology compromising privacy is understood the demand by New Yorkers will only explode. It would be great if it were nipped in the bud now! By Mike Maharrey Tenth Amendment Center January 5, 2018 ALBANY, N.Y. (Jan. 5, 2018) – A bill introduced in the New York Senate would allow customers to opt out of installing “smart meter” technology on their homes and businesses. Passage of this bill would allow New Yorkers to protect their own privacy, and it would take a step toward blocking a federal program in effect. Sen. Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn) introduced Senate Bill 7214 (S7214) on Jan. 3. The legislation would allow New Yorkers to opt out of any utility company smart meter program with no penalty. Smart meters monitor home energy usage in minute detail in real time. The devices transmit data to the utility company where it gets stored in databases. Anybody with access to the data can download it for analysts. Without specific criteria limiting access to the data, these devices create significant privacy issues. Smart meters can also be used to remotely limit power usage during peak hours. S7214 provides a comprehensive smart meter opt-out right for utility customers. It shall be the right of every customer of an electric and/or gas corporation, at no penalty, fee or service charge to decline the permission of his or her electric and/or gas corporation, (a) to replace an existing meter at such customer’s premises that is assigned to such customer’s account with a two-way smart meter or (b) to install any two-way smart meter device at his or her property without such customer’s consent. The legislation would also require utility companies to give customers 90-day notice before installing smart meter technology with a right to decline installation. It would further allow a customer to require removal of a smart meter with no charge for one year after installation. S7214 is a companion bill to A3066 currently pending in the New York Assembly. Privacy Concerns The proliferation of smart meters creates significant privacy concerns. The data collected can tell anybody who holds it a great deal about what goes on inside a home. It can reveal when residents are at home, asleep or on vacation. It can also pinpoint “unusual” energy use, and could someday serve to help enforce “energy usage” regulations. The ACLU summarized the privacy issues surrounding smart meters in a recent report. “The temptation to use the information that will be collected from customers for something other than managing electrical loads will be strong – as it has been for cell phone tracking data and GPS information. Police may want to know your general comings and goings or whether you’re growing marijuana in your basement under grow lights. Advertisers will want the information to sell you a new washing machine to replace the energy hog you got as a wedding present 20 years ago. Information flowing in a smart grid will become more and more ‘granular’ as the system develops.” The privacy issues aren’t merely theoretical. According to information obtained by the California ACLU, utility companies in the state have disclosed information gathered by smart meters on thousands of customers. San Diego Gas and Electric alone disclosed data on more than 4,000 customers. The vast majority of disclosures were in response to subpoenas by government agencies “often in drug enforcement cases or efforts to find specific individuals,” according to SFGate. “Mark Toney, executive director of the Utility Reform Network watchdog group, said the sheer number of data disclosures made by SDG&E raised the possibility that government agencies wanted to sift through large amounts of data looking for patterns, rather than conducting targeted investigations.” No Smart Meter, No Data Refusing to allow a smart meter on your property is the only sure-fire way to ensure your energy use data won’t fall into the hands of government agents or private marketers, or end up stored in some kind of government database. Passage of S7214 would make opting out a legal option for New Yorkers and give them control over their own privacy. Impact on Federal Program The federal government serves as a major source of funding for smart meters. A 2009 program through the U.S. Department of Energy distributed $4.5 billion for smart grid technology. The initial projects were expected to fund the installation of 1.8 million smart meters over three years. The federal government lacks any constitutional authority to fund smart grid technology. The easiest way to nullify such programs is to simply not participate. A3066 would make that possible. If enough states pass similar legislation, and enough people opt out, the program will go nowhere. We’ve seen a similar opt-out movement undermining Common Core in New York. Opting out follows a strategy James Madison advised in Federalist #46. “Refusal to cooperate with officers of the Union” provides a powerful means to fight back against government overreach. Such actions in multiple states would likely be effective in bringing down federal smart meter programs. UP NEXT S7214 was referred to the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee where it will need to pass by a majority vote before moving forward in the legislative process. Source: http://blog.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2018/01/new-york-bill-would-allow-customers-to-opt-out-of-smart-meters-undermine-federal-program-3/ STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________ 7214 IN SENATE January 3, 2018 ___________ Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommuni- cations AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to advanced metering infrastructure devices for residential services The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 2 67-b to read as follows: 3 § 67-b. Advanced metering infrastructure devices for electric and gas 4 services. 1. The commission shall not allow for the installation of any 5 advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) device by an electric and/or gas 6 corporation unless such device meets or exceeds the following standards 7 for AMI performance and safety, which shall include: 8 (a) Federal Communications Commission standards for intentional and 9 unintentional radio frequency emissions and any other relevant standards 10 related to radio frequency exposure; 11 (b) American National Standards Institute (ANSI) specifications for 12 meter accuracy and performance; and 13 (c) any other standards, requirements and guidelines established by 14 the commission to protect customer health and safety and ensure, to the 15 fullest extent possible, the protection and encryption of customer 16 personal, financial and energy usage information. The commission shall 17 promulgate regulations necessary to effectuate this subdivision. 18 2. For purposes of this section advanced metering infrastructure shall 19 include: 20 (a) a one-way smart meter, which shall mean a device designed to 21 utilize one-way communications systems, including but not limited to: 22 (i) power line carrier; (ii) radio frequency; (iii) wireless fidelity 23 network; (iv) telephony; and (v) the internet to transmit customer usage 24 data to an electric and/or gas corporation for the purposes of billing; 25 and be designed to be capable of measuring and storing customer electric 26 and/or gas usage data, including time of use in real time; or EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD08581-01-7 S. 7214 2 1 (b) two-way smart meter, which shall mean a device that is designed to 2 utilize two-way communications systems, including but not limited to: 3 (i) radio frequency; (ii) wireless fidelity network; or (iii) the inter- 4 net to transmit electric usage and pricing data between an electric 5 and/or gas corporation and its customers, where such device is capable 6 of (A) measuring usage data and transmitting such data in intervals of 7 at least once per day; (B) receiving in real-time, per-kilowatt hour 8 (kWh) and/or per (therm) gas and electric supply and delivery rates; (C) 9 detecting customer service disruptions and transmitting such information 10 to an electric and/or gas corporation; and (D) storing customer usage 11 data. 12 3. It shall be the right of every customer of an electric and/or gas 13 corporation, at no penalty, fee or service charge to decline the permis- 14 sion of his or her electric and/or gas corporation, (a) to replace an 15 existing meter at such customer's premises that is assigned to such 16 customer's account with a two-way smart meter or (b) to install any 17 two-way smart meter device at his or her property without such custom- 18 er's consent. 19 4. An electric and/or gas corporation may not install a two-way smart 20 meter on a customer's premises that is assigned to such customer's 21 account unless it shall provide written notice to the customer no less 22 than ninety days prior to the scheduled installation of such meter. Such 23 notice shall provide that: 24 (a) the customer shall have the right to decline his or her electric 25 and/or gas corporation from installing a two-way smart meter with no 26 fee, penalty or service charge; 27 (b) the customer may, at any point during a period of three hundred 28 sixty-five days following the installation of a two-way smart meter, 29 require the removal of such device with no fee, penalty or service 30 charge; 31 (c) the customer may be liable for a fee to be determined by the 32 commission for the removal of a two-way smart meter device if the 33 customer requests the removal more than three hundred sixty-five days 34 following the installation of such meter at his or her premises. 35 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. https://legiscan.com/NY/bill/S07214/2017
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