Dear Reader,

One gets the feeling that the Jamaica Public Service Company’s monopoly goes beyond the generation and transmission of power. There also seems to be a “monopoly mindset” that is predicated on the notion that “they are dumb and we are smart”, resulting in a pattern and practice of unaccountability and under-education, particularly as it relates to the new technological devices being imported into Jamaica.

Case in point is the introduction of JPS’s new digital and smart meters currently being installed in houses and communities across the country without public consent or the requisite levels of public education. When one compares and contrasts the manner in which these types of meters are being introduced in other parts of the world, including the United States, it is clear that there is very little respect and regard for the Jamaican consumer. We can only conclude that the JPS must think that we are too “dumb” to figure out “smart” meters.

In virtually every US state in which smart meters are being introduced, consumer complaints are mounting. In a report entitled, “Consumers Wary of Smart Meters”, the writer states: “Increasingly, consumers are calling on state regulators to move cautiously on smart meters, citing complaints in some states that the meters are raising electric bills rather than lowering them”.

The report continues, “The latest evidence of a backlash comes from Maryland. Last month, the state’s public service commission rejected an $835 million smart-meter installation plan put forward by the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company or BGE. The commission’s order professed enthusiasm for the long-run potential of smart meters, but said BGE was asking rate payers to take significant financial and technological risks and adapt to categorical changes in rate design, all in exchange for savings that are largely indirect, highly contingent and a long way off…” Consumer groups were relieved by the decision. Spokeswoman for the Maryland American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) reportedly stated that, “The entire cost shouldn’t be borne by the consumer. There has to be a balance between the customer and the utility itself.”

The report went on to point out that “Along with the new technology have come consumer complaints. Individual and class action lawsuits have been filed against utilities in California and Texas, claiming that the meters aren’t reliable and have only produced mounting utility bills for customers. In California the state Public Utilities Commission launched an investigation into the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)after consumers in Bakersfield said that their utility bills shot up around the same time PG&E installed smart meters there.”

One of America’s prominent consumer advocacy groups named TURN (The Utility Reform Network) has also mounted a “Smart Meter Boycott”, providing consumers with a “Do Not Install” sticker that they can opt to place on their meters rejecting the installation of smart meters. TURN reports that “hundreds of PG&E customers have contacted TURN to complain about smart meter installation. In response TURN has been working to hold both PG&E and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) accountable.”

Said TURN, “The CPUC investigation into PG&E’s Smart Meters did not go far enough. It failed to answer many of the questions consumers continue to have about the accuracy, effectiveness and safety of these expensive new meters. TURN remains sceptical that smart meters are a smart investment for consumers. The meters have failed to provide customer benefits commensurate with their costs, which are $2.2 billion for PG&E customers alone.”

Unlike what is happening in the US, we here in Jamaica have been without advisers or advocates. The Office of Utilities Regulation which is supposed to play the role of protector has to a large degree served as proxy to the JPS.

The questions we want the JPS to answer now are, what is the cost for the new meters being installed, and who is paying for them? Why wasn’t a pilot project done like what obtains in other countries to determine the accuracy and viability of the meter before widespread roll-out? Do consumers have a right to refuse the installation of new meters? What are the measures that exist to protect customers from remote switching and disconnection, and who is responsible for billing inaccuracies related to those meters? Other issues such as back billing, and the onerous demand charge that is decimating businesses must also now be fully investigated and rectified.

In addition, the now established consumer advocacy group CURE (Citizens United to Reduce Electricity) is demanding an immediate halt to the installation of smart meters until the technology is independently tested over a prescribed period and found to be accurate.

With love,

bab2609@yahoo.com