Inside and outside of Oakland

'Smart' meter opponents plan public meetings over new opt-out policy

  Opponents of "smart" utility meters being installed by Michigan's major utilities will hold two meetings in June in Oakland and Wayne counties to talk about the new "opt-out" policy approved last week by the Michigan Public Service Commission.

  The new policy says DTE Energy can charge a $67 one-time fee and $9.80 per month to customers who want the radio-frequency smart meters disabled.
  Critics of the smart meters say the radio frequencies they use can adversely affect a person's health, although information on the MPSC website says health risks are negligible.
  Organizers of the two meetings say it's a "primer" on how the new meters "can harm privacy, environment and health," and what utility customers can do about the new opt-out policy.
  The free events are open to residents in Oakland, Macomb, Wayne and Washtenaw counties.
  The first is 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 2, at the Plymouth Public Library Community Room, 223 South Main Street in Plymouth.
  The second is 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 18, at the Rochester Hills Public Library, 500 Olde Town Road in Rochester.
  Listed speakers are David Sheldon, president of Michigan Stop Smart Meters, Diana Ostermann, a retired cell phone industry manager, and Linda Kurtz, one of nine people who legally intervened in the proceedings before the MPSC.
  Sheldon estimates a million of the smart meters have been installed in southeast Michigan, replacing the older analog meters.
  Proponents of the smart meters say they eliminate the need for meter readers to go door-to-door, and are more accurate in helping pinpoint power outages.

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