Smart cities coming for you!
Guest post by Kay Burdette
Mendenhall Law Group is pursuing three smart meter lawsuits in Ohio. Kay Burdette, our office administrator, has been fielding calls and researching this issue. Here is her guest post:
Maybe you’ve heard the terms “Smart,” or 15-minute city” before. But do you know what it means? The most common explanation of a smart city goes something like this: Integrating communication technology, citizen engagement, sustainable infrastructure, increased safety measures, efficient transportation, and creating economic development and green spaces for a sustainable environment.
Many of us have noticed that the cities around us have started adding bike lanes on busy roads, roundabouts, smart traffic cameras and parking meters, smart utility meters are being installed on our homes. But what is the purpose?
Cisco.com defines a smart city as a city that, “Uses technology and data to improve the lives of its residents and make urban living more efficient, sustainable, and enjoyable, encompassing areas like transportation, energy, public services, and citizen engagement.”
By implementing technology that allows for remote meter readings, companies can provide more accurate measurements for your utilities. This technology also enables real-time tracking of your electricity, water, or gas usage. Companies can immediately inform you of any suspected leaks, and make sure you are billed accurately.
Cars would be connected to the infrastructure, and to each other via cellular networks, and smart toll roads would allow a sensor to detect when a car passes a toll plaza, and deduct the toll from that user’s account. Along with this, a smart transportation system would allow a smart traffic flow management system, which combines a central control system for traffic lights, and sensors for detecting delays, or the amount of traffic in certain areas. Automated shared use vehicles would help travelers reach their destinations.
Sounds great, right? Why wouldn’t we want to make life more efficient, safer, and more sustainable? They have the sales pitch down to a T.
But nobody talks about the dark side of smart cities. All the information you find on the web sounds like an advertisement meant to entice you. Like an ad for a prescription medication that, despite the slight possibility it may relieve one of your symptoms, comes with a litany of other symptoms that will make your life hell. Where are the disclaimers? The saying goes, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
What does it mean to live in a smart city? It means license plate recognition systems that will let authorities track every vehicle's movement, charging drivers by the mile and providing real-time location data. Streetlights are set to have cameras and wireless cellular connection. It means smart parking meters which may be able to automatically charge you for using a spot, and advise you, and maybe even police, when the meter has expired.
They want everything to be walkable, bikeable, and people take part in ride sharing. But what if they told you the truth, and tried to sell it like this: How would you like your every move to be tracked and monitored? For the air conditioning in your home set for no lower than 82 degrees on a hot summer day, or if you take a shower for more than your allotted time, and are cut off mid-rinse due to excessive water usage? Would you still like the idea then? This may be what we face with the implementation of smart utility meters in our homes. We often cave to the appeal of convenience and safety, only to find ourselves in a position where we feel as though we can never live without it.
A key element of the smart city initiative is the rollout of 5G networks. Fiber optic cables are being installed beneath roads under the guise of infrastructure upgrades, but in truth, these systems support advanced surveillance technologies.
The reality of it is, the smart meters can record usage in real time and some can hear what’s going on in your home. The water meters have ultra sonic, or “acoustic” technology which listens to your pipes to detect usage. But what else can they hear? For many people, their water meter is located right inside their home. What kind of things happen, or are talked about when you’re in the privacy of your home with your family? How would you feel about an unknown 3rd party listening in? Would you still feel safe and secure in your home if you knew someone could tell which toilet was flushed, or that you’re running the washing machine or dishwasher? What if someone could tell whether you or your kids were home? This is what they leave out when they sell you on how great these meters are.
Another issue they don’t want you to know about is how often smart electric meters explode and cause house fires. We’re not talking about a pop and a little smoke; we’re talking about flames shooting out several feet from the meter. As if that’s not enough to give you caution in having one of these installed on your home, it improves. Manufacturers are telling customers that this is just normal wear and tear on the meter, and that it’s not covered by warranty. “What?!”, you might be thinking? That’s right. Manufacturers state this is NOT covered under warranty. No problem. That’s what homeowners’ insurance is for, right? Wrong again. Most insurance companies are saying this is NOT covered. Now you’re probably thinking, “Well the cities or utility companies that mandated we get these meters will have to pay for this!”. Nope. They claim they have no liability. This means that even though they’ve mandated you to have these meters on your home whether you wanted it or not, you are now footing the bill for any damage they may cause.
In case you’re not already concerned, all smart meters can cause adverse health effects, and most people don’t even realize the cause of their symptoms. Insomnia, migraines, tinnitus, dizziness, fatigue, brain fog, muscle and body pain (often called fibromyalgia). Do any of these sound familiar? If you’re living in a home with smart meters, those, coupled with the 5G towers around your home, could be the culprit. It also raises concerns about potential negative health effects on children and pets, given their smaller and more vulnerable bodies, as well as possible interference with medical devices such as pacemakers.
But wait, there’s more! Since smart meters work on a cellular network, they’re able to be controlled remotely. This means access to your water, gas or electric can be shut off without proper due process or even rationed remotely. If the government decides you’ve used too much water, electricity or gas, they would have the power to control your usage. Smart meters can also be easily used for monitoring speech, and voicing the wrong opinion could eventually result in fines or penalties.
The Aclara I-210+ is a commonly used smart electric meter throughout the United States. This meter features an “emergency conservation demand limiting function” which states:
The Emergency Conservation Demand Limiting function provides a way to
enforce an emergency conservation policy for all residential customers. This
sets a maximum demand that customers will be allowed during the
conservation period.
As well as a demand limiting function mode which states:
In the event of non-payment during a period of time when government restrictions
prevent termination of service, the Demand Limiting function switch may be
implemented to limit the customer demand to the minimum level necessary to
maintain basic heating or cooling and other safety needs. The Demand Limiting
function enforces this limit remotely.
If this information was provided when they tried to sell you on the idea of a smart city, would you still think it was a great idea? Chances are, if you were armed with this information you wouldn’t accept them so easily. Much of this was voted upon by your city council, likely during COVID while meetings were not being held in person, and it was easy for them to sneak this in with your being none the wiser. Many see this as a welcomed infrastructure upgrade, but others are outraged and are suing. Lawsuits all over the US are popping up as communities fight back against these mandates. In states like Ohio, Oregon, Maine, Pennsylvania, and many others, citizens have sued local municipalities over their smart meter mandates. Will your city be next?
Sources:
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/smart-cities/
https://fcc.report/FCC-ID/LLBY84092-1/6218125.pdf
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/electromagnetic-hypersensitivity
All Their Infrastructure Systems Are Put In Place To Keep You "Socially Responsible" & Controlled By Your Social Credit Scores.
Revelation 13:17
“And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
King James Version (KJV)