Saturday, January 21, 2012

Smart Meter

One of the most polarizing issues to come forth in some time is the Smart Meter. The U.S. Government has allocated 3.4 Billion dollars for installation of the devices and has issued the funds to some 100 large energy providers and 25 smaller companies. The Smart Meter is a wireless digital transmitting device that collects data on a regular basis and forwards it to your power company for analysis. It's supposed function is to better manage power usage throughout the grid network and save money and power through integrated management. However the devices have the capability of monitoring specific appliance usage and therefore can reveal private information about a homeowners personal habits. It need not be said that such data is a violation of a persons right to privacy, not to mention the exposure to unscrupulous entities who could violate a persons home or steal important information. There is also a great debate about the health issues involved in attaching a meter which constantly broadcasts a powerful radio signal to a persons home against their will without their permission. This is obviously a source of EMF and EMR and brings about questions that will be hotly contested in times to come.

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