(It is suggested that I print out this list for easy reference)
(Editor’s note: This article, originally published in 2012,
has been updated, as of May 2017, to reflect the current
proposed legislation, House Bill 4220, the “Glenn bill”.)
[ X ] I have the first thing done already by visiting this website.
[ ] Click the “Follow” button on this website. Enter my email so that I will receive an alert whenever there is some new development posted. To find the “Follow” button just scroll down the right hand panel on the Home page.
[ ] Send a letter to my elected representatives in the Michigan Legislature urging that a law be passed (such as the “Glenn bill”) to protect the rights of utility customers not to have their health assaulted or their privacy violated by a utility imposing an electric meter that is not necessary to measure power consumption. Urge that any new law cover professional practices and businesses as well as residential customers, and that entire communities have the right to opt-out of so called ‘advanced’ meters.
[ ] Send a letter to the office of Michigan’s Attorney General, ENRA Division, asking the AG to aggressively represent the interests of Michigan utility customers to keep or get back their safe analog electric meters. Note that it is the ONLY meter on the market today that does not create “dirty electricity” and the only meter that is not objectionable on privacy grounds.
Things to do to protect my own home (if I still have an analog meter):
[ ] Put a sign on my electric meter stating:
“Installer: I do not consent to the installation of a ‘smart’ meter.”
[ ] Make it difficult for an installer to sneak onto my property and replace my analog meter with a ‘smart’ meter or ‘advanced’ meter. In the past we have recommended people simply put a padlock through the loop at the bottom of the meter housing. Recent experience, beginning in late 2013, has shown at least one Michigan utility becoming very aggressive in defeating such a simple protection. Padlocks have been cut with bolt cutters. Loops have been cut. We now recommend a new method of protecting your existing analog meter.
[ ] Send a certified letter to my utility company stating:
“I do not consent to the installation of a ‘smart’ meter on my home, as I believe that such a meter is an entirely illegal intrusion upon my privacy and a threat to my health.
[ ] Buy or borrow a radio frequency (RF) meter to determine if RF radiation in my home caused by neighbors’ smart meters (or a home Wi-Fi system) is putting me at risk. Consider installing some form of electromagnetic shielding for key areas of my home. This is particularly important if a neighbor’s smart meter is less than 50 feet from one of my bedrooms or another area where I spend a lot of time, such as a kitchen or study. Always use an RF meter to make sure that any shielding installed is effective.
[ ] Replace Wi-Fi system with hard wired internet connection plugs. Get rid of cordless phones. Use cellphones when necessary but never as a substitute for hard wired phones.
Things to do to protect my own home (if my analog meter has been taken away):
[ ] Send a certified letter to my utility company stating:
“You have installed a ‘smart’ meter upon my home without my knowledge or consent. As it is a surveillance device and a Class 2B carcinogen, I demand it be removed. If arrangements are not made to remove it within 14 days, I will replace it myself and return your meter to you.”
[ ] Purchase my own analog meter and instructions on how to install. (See detailed instructions elsewhere on this web site.)
[ ] After 14 days with no response from utility, arrange for a qualified person to replace the meter, taking note of the final reading on the smart meter. Notify the utility the same day that I have done so, and report the final reading on the smart meter and the initial reading on my own new analog meter.
[ ] Take a photograph of the undamaged smart meter and return or ship it to the utility by secure means, with proof of delivery or shipment.
Keeping the ‘smart’ meter off my own home will protect my family’s privacy but may not be enough to protect my family from health destroying radiation since we will still be getting that from our neighbor’s smart meters and from the mesh network that allows all these meters to communicate. Things to do to make my entire neighborhood safe:
[ ] Write a letter to the editor of my local newspaper.
[ ] Go to a meeting of my City Council and speak to the Council during the time reserved for public comments. Ask Council to pass a resolution urging the Public Service Commission to impose an immediate moratorium on any further smart meter installations until they have completed their own review of the health, safety and privacy issues surrounding these meters.
[ ] Talk this issue up among my neighbors, and in any community organization to which I belong. Urge others to come to the City Council and request action.
[ ] Contact my representatives in Lansing by phone or letter and let them know how I feel about this issue.
[ ] Email my friends or use Facebook and Twitter to get the word out.
[ ] Reply to this website using the “Leave a Reply” window, to advise what actions I have taken and any success achieved. You will need to leave us your email but may use first name only if you prefer. This may well be an inspiration to others.