Utilities see growing 'smart meter' opposition Associated Press Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 10:45 a.m., Sunday, May 13, 2012 (AP) — Worries about health effects, privacy and cost are fueling growing opposition to wireless, digital "smart meters" that utilities around the country are installing at homes and businesses and touting as key energy conservation and grid reliability tools. While several states have allowed utilities to charge a fee to customers who want to opt out of smart meters, Vermont's governor is expected soon to sign legislation that would allow customers to say no without paying anything extra, at least until more studies are completed on the real costs of not deploying the meters. Another benefit cited by supporters of the technology: Because the meters would allow two-way radio communication, the utility would be able to see immediately when even a single customer lost power. Smart meters got a big boost in 2009, when the Obama administration devoted $3.5 billion of its $787 billion economic stimulus package to grants to help utilities install the new technology. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization, last year called radio-frequency radiation, which is emitted by cell phones, smart meters and many other devices, as a "possible carcinogen." Smart meter supporters say the levels of RFRs emitted by the devices are much lower than those emitted by cell phones, and that governmental agencies have built big safety margins into emissions limits for both. "Without a formal risk assessment and associated mitigation strategy, threats and weaknesses may go unidentified" and expose utility grids "to an unacceptable level of risk," Friedman wrote.
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