California: Alameda resident arrested for blocking installation of Smart Meters

Posted on April 6, 2018 by admin

See also Press release.

From the  Alameda Sun

Smart Meter Activist Arrested for Blockage

April 3, 2018
by  Ekene Ikeme

Alameda police officers arrested an Alameda resident after he allegedly tried blocking the installation of Alameda Municipal Power’s (AMP) new smart meters at an apartment building Thursday, March 29.

Alameda resident Christopher Rabe was arrested at 10:30 a.m., according to Alameda Police Department (APD) reports. The incident took place at the apartment building on the 2200 block of Pacific Avenue where Rabe, 39, is a tenant. 

[Editor: According to the press release from Stop Smart Meters, there is a bank of 13 electric meters on his children’s bedroom wall. AMP was attempting to install Smart Meters there. During his detention, AMP installed 5 Smart Meters on their wall.]

Workers from Professional Meters, Inc., which AMP hired to conduct the smart electric meter installations, were attempting to install AMP’s new meters at the apartment building. At the residence the workers noticed Rabe was blocking the grid where the meters would be installed. He had also wrapped a chain around his meter. 

Even though Rabe opted out of the program, restricting access to the electric meter is against the law. Per the terms of AMP’s Rules & Regulations, customers may not obstruct access to metering equipment and the utility has the right to remove any obstructions. Rabe was taken to an Oakland jail and released after posting bond.

[Editor: Mr. Rabe was held for 10 hours.]

The workers were to install five meters at the building, four to residences and one for a commercial meter for the common areas in the building. Some of the other residents chose to opt out of the new smart meter program and continue with their old meters. 

Rabe has been in an ongoing battle with AMP over its new smart meters (“New Smart Meters Raise Radiation Concerns,” Nov. 23, 2017). He believes the radio-frequency (RF) levels of the new meters are higher than AMP suggests. He expressed his concerns to AMP in a letter he sent them last year. He also posted a video to Youtube where he used his own RF meter to monitor RF wave transmissions from several smart meters around Alameda last year. In the videos, Rabe stands in front of a smart meter and analyzes how many times his RF meter picks up pulsed microbursts of RF radiation. In the video Rabe believes one smart meter transmits more than 9,000 times per day. 

However, according to AMP’s website, the smart meters, which are manufactured by Landis & Gyr, a worldwide smart meter and smart grid manufacturing company, emit about 83 seconds of RF frequency waves per day. This comes from 270 maintenance and 1,440 sync transmissions per day.

[Editor: PG&E uses Landis & Gyr Smart Meters. In a statement filed with the California Public Utilities Commission, PG&E stated these meters transmit pulses  over 14,000 (mean average) to 190,000 times every day — p. 3-5 and footnote #4.] 

Calls to the Alameda County District Attorney’s office to determine what charges Rabe will face were not returned as of Tuesday.

https://alamedasun.com/news/smart-meter-activist-arrested-blockage

Posted under Fair Use Rules.

Press release:

https://chrisrabe.wordpress.com/2018/04/03/alameda-p-d-arrest-man-for-refusing-microwave-pulsing-meters-on-his-kids-bedroom-wall/ 

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Democracy Now interview on Nation investigation 4/5/18, Part 2: How Big Wireless war-gamed the science on risks, while making customers addicted to their phones (VIDEO)

Posted on April 6, 2018 by admin

“…they were told 20 years ago that this could cause cancer in kids, and they kept doing it. Think about that. Think about that.”
— Mark Hertsgaard

From Democracy Now

April 5, 2018
Video at above link.

Guests:  Mark Hertsgaard, Environment correspondent and investigative editor for The Nation
Article: “How Big Wireless Made Us Think That Cell Phones Are Safe”

We continue our conversation with Mark Hertsgaard, The Nation’s environment correspondent and investigative editor, who co-authored a major new exposé, “How Big Wireless Made Us Think That Cell Phones Are Safe.” He discusses how wireless companies “war-gamed the science” by funding friendly studies and attacking critical ones; the potential dangers of the pending expansion of 5G with the “internet of things”; the role of the telecommunications industry officials turned federal regulators; and how companies deliberately addicted customers to this technology through the addition of social media.

Transcript

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, The War and Peace Report, with this web exclusive. I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: We turn now to Part 2 of our look at a new investigation by The Nation headlined “How Big Wireless Made Us Think That Cell Phones Are Safe.” It reveals how cellphones were first marketed to U.S. consumers in the 1980s without any government safety testing. Then, a decade later, one of the industry’s own hand-picked researchers, George Carlo, reportedly told top company officials, including leaders of Apple, AT&T and Motorola, that some industry-commissioned studies raised serious questions about cellphone safety. On October 7th, 1999, Carlo sent letters to industry CEOs urging them to give consumers, quote, “the information they need to make an informed judgment about how much of this unknown risk they wish to assume.” Instead, the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association reportedly tried to discredit Carlo’s findings, and had him physically removed from its premises during its annual conference in February 2000.

AMY GOODMAN: The Nation investigation notes Carlo’s story “evokes eerie parallels with two of the most notorious cases of corporate deception on record: the campaigns by the tobacco and fossil-fuel industries to obscure the dangers of smoking and climate change, respectively.”

For more, we continue with our interview with one of the authors of the new investigation, Mark Hertsgaard, The Nation’s environment correspondent and investigative editor.

So, Mark Hertsgaard, if you could reiterate, at this point, in 2018, as you evaluate the science or talk to the scientists who are evaluating it, what do you think is of most concern about cellphones? And then talk about ways to mitigate your—the effects of cellphones.

MARK HERTSGAARD: Sure. I want to emphasize I’m not a scientist. I’m a journalist and an author. But we talked to a lot of scientists. And our story does not say whether cellphones are safe or not. We looked at the industry disinformation and propaganda campaign that for the past 25 years has been convincing the public that these cellphones are safe.

And the way they’ve done that is to war-game the science, as they put it in an internal memo from Motorola. They’ve funded their friendly scientists. They’ve attacked critical science, independent science. They’ve put their own people onto advisory boards. All that said, that’s resulted in, I think, the message coming across from the mainstream media, frankly, that cellphones are safe enough, shall we say?

However, that point of view took a major hit just last week, the night before we released our story. There was a peer review by independent scientists of the biggest study that the United States government has had to date on cellphone radiation. This was a study by the U.S. National Toxicology Program, that’s part of the National Institutes of Health. The study was commissioned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. And it released some preliminary findings in February, and then those findings were peer-reviewed by independent scientists last week. And those independent scientists finally concluded that there was, quote, “clear evidence,” unquote, “clear evidence” that cellphone radiation can cause cancers.

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Democracy Now interview on Nation investigation 4/5/18: Part 1 — How the Wireless Industry convinced the public that cellphones are safe & cherry-picked research on risks (VIDEO)

Posted on April 6, 2018 by admin

From Democracy Now

April 5, 2018

Video at link above.

Guests:  Mark Hertsgaard, Environment correspondent and investigative editor for The Nation
Article: “How Big Wireless Made Us Think That Cell Phones Are Safe”

Transcript

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: Ninety-five out of every 100 American adults owns a cellphone today. And worldwide, three out of four adults now have cellphone access. The wireless industry is one of the fastest-growing on Earth, raking in annual sales of $440 billion in 2016.

But are cellphones safe? Well, a new investigation by The Nation suggests that’s a question that cellphone giants prefer you don’t ask. The article, by journalists Mark Hertsgaard and Mark Dowie, is headlined “How Big Wireless Made Us Think That Cell Phones Are Safe.”

The article notes that cellphones were first marketed to U.S. consumers in the 1980s without any government safety testing. Then, a decade later, one of the industry’s own hand-picked researchers, George Carlo, reportedly told top company officials, including leaders of Apple, AT&T and Motorola, that some industry-commissioned studies raised serious questions about cellphone safety. On October 7th, 1999, Carlo sent letters to industry CEOs urging them to give consumers, quote, “the information they need to make an informed judgment about how much of this unknown risk they wish to assume.” Instead, the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association reportedly tried to discredit Carlo’s findings, and had him physically removed from its premises during its annual conference in February 2000.

AMY GOODMAN: The Nation magazine investigation notes Carlo’s story “evokes eerie parallels with two of the most notorious cases of corporate deception on record: the campaigns by the tobacco and fossil-fuel industries to obscure the dangers of smoking and climate change, respectively.”

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Nation: How Big Wireless made us think that cell phones are safe: a special investigation

Posted on March 29, 2018 by admin

Front page article in April 23, 2018 issue Nation magazine. Includes information on Internet of Things (IoT).

https://www.thenation.com/article/how-big-wireless-made-us-think-that-cell-phones-are-safe-a-special-investigation/

How Big Wireless Made Us Think That Cell Phones Are Safe: A Special Investigation

The disinformation campaign – and massive radiation increase – behind the 5G rollout

by Mark Hertsgaard and Mark Dowie

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Arizona: APS and police threaten to arrest physician for refusing Smart Meters on office building

Posted on March 6, 2018 by admin

She had already been granted a medical exemption for her office.

From Dr. Deborah Dykema, The Wellness Center 

A TRUE STORY

YOUR DOCTOR’S PRACTICE
DISRUPTED BY APS WHO THREATENED TO PLACE ME IN JAIL
FOR REFUSAL OF “SMART METERS”

Dear Patients

On Thursday, March 1, 2018, at approximately 10:00 am Arizona Public Service (APS) came to my office without warning while I was seeing patients and threatened to have me placed in jail if I did not allow them to immediately install a cluster of 3 “smart meters” in very close proximity to where I work and see patients 14 hours daily 5-6 days per week. APS called the police when I refused installation and 2 police officers including a sergeant arrived and threatened to arrest me under statute 40-431.

I repeatedly asked the APS supervisor that this matter be discussed at a time that would not keep my sick patients waiting, and they refused, which stopped my ability to see patients with scheduled appointments for nearly 90 minutes. I had several patients that waited 90 minutes and several patients who left the office unable to be seen due to their disruption. 

I explained to APS that I personally have experienced serious health problems with a smart meter at my home that had to be removed. For this reason, I was granted a medical exemption for my office when I purchased the building 6 years ago. At that time they placed non-transmitting digital meters, which are currently working fine and they have access to. I explained that my business is taking care of many patients with extreme chemical and electrical sensitivities and the room where I care for these patients is literally 3 feet away from where they would place these 3 “smart meters”. They still refused. This standoff continued outside my building in full view of many of my patients. The police who had threatened me with arrest were on the phone and received approval from their legal department to arrest me under AS 40-431, even though I know now that this statute only applies to blocking the reading of the meters, which I was not, and does not apply to exchanging meters. 

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Dr. Joel Moskowitz wins freedom of information journalism award for lawsuit releasing California Department of Public Health cell phone advisory

Posted on March 2, 2018 by admin

Northern California Society of Professional Journalists announced February 21 that Dr. Joel Moskowitz, Director of the Center for Family and Community Health at U.C. Berkeley’s School of Public Health, was a winner of its 2018  James Madison Freedom of Information Award in the Citizen category.

From Northern California Society of Professional Journalists

“The James Madison Freedom of Information Awards recognize Northern California organizations and individuals who have made significant contributions to advancing freedom of information and/or expression in the spirit of James Madison, the creative force behind the First Amendment. SPJ NorCal presents the awards near Madison’s birthday, March 16, and National Freedom of Information Week, which is March 11-18 this year.

…

Susan Fowler and Dr. Joel Moskowitz win Citizen Awards. Fowler was an early voice in what became the #MeToo movement, blowing the whistle on workplace sexual harassment at Uber and giving voice to women in the tech industry and beyond it. Moskowitz, the director of the Center for Family and Community Health at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health, successfully sued the state under the California Public Records Act, securing the release of a report on cell phone radiation commissioned by California’s Department of Public Health.”

He and the other winners of the 2018 James Madison Freedom of Information awards will be honored at the 33rd Annual Awards dinner March 27, 2018, in San Francisco.

For details and additional information:
http://www.spjnorcal.org/new/2018/02/21/spj-norcal-honors-2018-foi-award-winners/

 

 

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Michigan hearing, March 2. Senator calls for shut-off moratorium and steep fines to reimburse affected customers; computer problems caused many power shut-offs

Posted on February 27, 2018 by admin

Michigan Public Service Commission hearing
Friday, March 2, 2018, 9 AM
Lansing, Michigan

It is critical that people call the MPSC to lodge complaints. If people don’t call, the extent of the investigation will be understated. People should call 1.800.292.9555 for any complaint they have, even if the incident occurred several months ago.
— Sen. Patrick Colbeck

– – – – – – – – –

“I’m being contacted by the friends and families of people in their 70s and 80s who are disabled or have asthma or congestive heart failure,” Sen. Colbeck said. “I’m getting contacted by people who have cancer or whose children have cancer and are now in the damp cold. People who are dependent on nebulizers of other powered medical devices.

Some are homebound and are getting their power cut without a knock. Some go out to the grocery store and come home to darkness. I know of one elderly disabled couple who is going into their third winter without power.”

In a series of hard-hitting articles, Sen. Patrick Colbeck details his investigation into DTE and Consumers Energy power shut-offs during winter, and Michigan Public Service Commission “dereliction of duty”, even denying hearing rights, and waiving rules and record keeping by the utility companies so that the numbers of people being disconnected cannot be discovered.

He describes his amazement at the PSC and utility companies’ continued policies to shut of electricity, and the horrifying stories of elderly and disabled people and families with children living without electricity through winter (some, for multiple winters) and the Michigan resident who froze to death because he could not pay his bill.

Sen. Colbeck said that the type of behavior being exemplified by the shut-offs shows why both utility choice and meter-choice urgently need to be reexamined.

“Until people can vote with their feet we’ll continue to see these problems,” Sen. Colbeck said. “People deserve the right to flee poor service when it jeopardizes their health and well-being.”

February 26, 2018 

Colbeck regarding DTE penalties: Record fines needed, people must be compensated

LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Patrick Colbeck commented Monday on the interim findingsfrom the Michigan Public Service Commission’s (MPSC) formal investigation of DTE Energy regarding multiple consumer protection violations and illegal shut-offs, many of which occurred in the 7th District.

“No fines have been levied against DTE by the MPSC yet,” said Colbeck, R-Canton. “But clearly we have to go beyond DTE’s suggestion that the biggest penalty they pay is the detriment to their customer satisfaction, and not in any type of financial penalty.”

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“State-sanctioned tyranny”: Michigan senator criticizes regulatory commission’s mandated Smart Meters and condemns power shut-offs by DTE; 100s disconnected in Michigan for refusing Smart Meters

Posted on February 27, 2018 by admin

Power to the people

By Sen. Patrick Colbeck
7th Senate District
October 19, 2017

In today’s modern society, we are more dependent upon reliable access to electricity than ever before. That is why the recent actions taken by DTE Energy to shut off power to customers simply because they would like to retain their analog meters is so concerning. Amazingly, customers who fail to pay their bills are protected against a shutoff of their power, but customers who pay their bills and would simply like to retain meters that have worked reliably for decades are having their power shut off. Does this sound fair to you? It doesn’t sound fair to me.

It is my hope that people who don’t have concerns with the new meters can sympathize with those who do and see the problems that need to be fixed in our system. I certainly do, and I have one of the new meters. Many of us do not worry about a “smart house” being hacked in today’s world. In fact, many of us fully embrace the convenience of our new “connected” quality of life paradigm. But freedom matters.

While most don’t suffer health effects from the new meters, imagine if you did. Your home is supposed to be your castle, yet for hundreds of people in Michigan they will instead be forced to live with a device that makes them dizzy or causes health concerns every day of the week. They feel trapped in their own home. To even get a partially deactivated meter they must pay more for something they don’t even want, and if they refuse, their power is being turned off. That is not fair.

Remember, these people are our neighbors. Many of these people are suffering from debilitating chronic illnesses. It is a sad state of affairs when the government mandates that a citizen’s private property rights can be overruled by a utility in this manner.

What makes the latest round of shutoff notices truly concerning is that it is even affecting people who have not blocked access to their meters. While I don’t agree with it, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) rules state the utilities can turn off power to those who physically block their meters from being changed. But that is not the case with most of the people receiving shutoff notices now. These people feel brow-beaten that they are being made to not only allow the new meters to be installed, but to have to also somehow agree to actively endorse the installations they abhor. That is not just adding insult to injury. In our supposedly regulated market it is truly unconscionable. I know of one couple who has been without power for years, who are elderly and disabled. When will enough of this be enough? What harm are they causing? None.

The best way to resolve this issue is to provide consumers with choices regarding who supplies them with electrical power. If utilities actually had to compete for business, they would likely be much more responsive to the desires of their consumers. Sadly, today 90 percent of the electricity market in Michigan is reserved for “regulated utilities.” Only 10 percent of the market is open to choice. Those on the “choice” list not only have the opportunity to choose their energy source, they also pay about 20 percent less than those of us who are relegated to the regulated utility for our area. How do you get on the “choice” list? Get in line. Currently, about 15 percent of the market is on a waiting list.

The MPSC says citizens have a choice. But choosing between having electricity or not having electricity, as hundreds of people in the 7th District and across the state are finding out, is no real choice at all. It is coercion. The MPSC needs to change their rules regarding meter choice — and change them now.

Just because many people don’t have an issue with the new meters is no reason to allow for state-sanctioned tyranny. Regardless of your personal thoughts on the new meters, I hope you will join me in asking the MPSC for a change on behalf of your friends and neighbors whose only “crime” is to want to control the activities occurring at what is supposed to be their one true safe sanctuary — their home.

Sen. Patrick Colbeck represents the 7th Senate District, which encompasses the cities of Livonia, Northville, Plymouth and Wayne, as well as the townships of Canton, Northville and Plymouth.

http://www.senatorpatrickcolbeck.com/power-to-the-people/

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Electrical engineer explains to Michigan legislature why Smart Meters are causing high bills (VIDEO)

Posted on February 25, 2018 by admin

–

Some main points:

  • These Smart Meters and digital meters have a switched mode power supply inside that creates harmonics, also known as transients.
  • The transients travel on the wiring throughout the home.
  • Transients are seen by the current sensors and voltage sensors in the meter and are counted as consumed electricity.
  • Other electric appliances have “EMC” filters in them to filter out transients. Smart Meter manufacturers did not put “EMC” filters in Smart Meters or digital meters.
  • No agency mandated “EMC” filters in Smart Meters or digital meters.
  • Transients on the wiring equate to higher bills. Bill Bathgate has seen 16-40 volts peak-to-peak of transients.
  • ANSI, which creates standards and tests meters, is a private industry-funded organization. It is not a federal standards agency.
  • ANSI allows meter manufacturers to remove the electronics from digital meters before they are tested for compliance, including testing their ability to handle surges.
  • ANSI’s definition of accuracy is very, very different, and ANSI does not address the precision of Smart Meters to consistently and repeatedly give the right reading.
  • Analog meters are transparent; a customer can verify their bill by looking at the meter.
  • Smart Meters and digital meters’ calculations and algorithms are known only to the utility company and cannot be verified by the customer. Contrary to utility company and Smart Meter manufacturer claims, the customer is NOT in control of their bill. Example of one customer who complained, and his bill dropped for no reason.

From Michigan Stop Smart Meters

Electrical engineer Bill Bathgate testifies before Michigan House Energy Committee on 2/13/18. Committee is responding to hundreds of complaints about inflated energy bills. Bathgate testifies that he has run tests that show that both the smart electric meter and the smart meter with radio turned off are wildly innacurate but the traditional analog meter is accurate and gives repeatable results.

——————————

Presentation PDF

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South Carolina woman arrested, strip-searched, and jailed for refusing Smart Meter

Posted on February 24, 2018 by admin

From What is 5G

Press Release
For Immediate Release

Contact: E. Michelle Mancini • blufftonsc(at)icloud.com
Please email for phone number

Armed Officers Arrest and Jail Woman to Enforce “Smart” Meters

PALMETTO ELECTRIC GETS ARMED THUGS AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE TO FORCE THEIR POOR CHOICE OF METERS 

Bluffton, South Carolina, February 19, 2018 A Sheriff arrested and jailed a woman after she had a smart meter on her home changed to an analog meter due to health issues from the radiation. The arrest warrant for Elizabeth Michelle Mancini states that Palmetto Electric Cooperative, Inc., did not approve the meter, and could not read it.

Ms. Mancini, a Technical Writer with no criminal record, stated, “Palmetto did not, and could not rebut my affidavit of claims related to their having put an unsafe and invasive meter on my home. I didn’t violate any law because I was simply acting in self-defense against an unsafe and unlawful meter.” She said she had no intent to defraud the utility company, and that “Utilities have been able to read analog meters for over 70 years–a third grader can do it.”

Ms. Mancini began requesting Palmetto to remove their smart meter in 2015, to protect her health and her Fourth Amendment right to privacy in the home. Ms. Mancini described going through an administrative process, serving the CEO of the power company with a “Notice and Demand,” and a subsequent “Notice of Default,” prior to installing a safe, hardwired analog meter. She returned the smart meter, undamaged, to the CEO of Palmetto and included photos of all readings for meter reading purposes, and to show she was not attempting to defraud the company.

Armed officers came to her home and made the arrest.

“Most of us are being harmed by excessive radiation, but only a small percentage of the population are clinically sensitive to radio frequencies. There was no compelling public interest to strip search and shackle me, and there is no public benefit to my prosecution. These so-called smart meters are a profitable fraud. The crime is Palmetto’s gross negligence regarding the health effects from these meters and also the violation of our right to privacy within the home. They are simultaneously harming and spying on trusting, innocent customers under the guise of delivering the most basic human needs.”

Ms. Mancini made recordings of the police when they invaded her home, but law enforcement scrubbed the recordings.

“I hope my arrest will help lead to people joining together to refuse this technology. Easements are not open ended and do not include the forcing of a radiation emitting surveillance device,” she said. Ms. Mancini has requested a continuance of a hearing scheduled.

http://whatis5g.info/injustice/2018/02/woman-arrested-refusing-smart-meter-letter-urging-state-attorney-general-intervene/

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