State Rep. Paul Opsommer said today that Detroit Edison does not need permission to let its customers opt out of wireless smart meter installation as part of his reaction to a recent filing by the company regarding the meters.
“Utilities have been telling both the media and the legislature for months that they are letting customers opt out of having wireless smart meters installed, but when people call my office it is to complain that they are not being allowed to do so,” said Opsommer, R-DeWitt. “In its recent application to the Michigan Public Service Commission, the DTE filing makes it sound like the MPSC has to first give approval for DTE to allow customers to opt out. That is simply not the case, and I hope the intent here is not to further delay giving customers an opt-out while this application is being reviewed.”
The July 31 application states that DTE is “requesting authority from the MPSC to implement an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Opt-Out Program for residential customers.”
Opsommer said DTE does not need any authority to stop these rollouts in the nearly 25 municipalities that have called for the program to end.
“They could do that today, on their own accord. Neither MPSC or its staff have mandated that customers must get smart meters or must pay not to have them, and as the Attorney General’s office has pointed out the utilities have yet to justify how these meters truly benefit consumers,” Opsommer said.
Opsommer also questioned the costs associated with the proposed opt-out program.
“Given our monopoly electrical market in Michigan, it’s very hard to justify charging captive customers $87 to not install something that never wanted in the first place,” Opsommer said. “Where else are they to turn? That may be a profitable business model, but it’s simply not one private property owners will tolerate. I also think we also need to make sure that ongoing charges of $15 a month is really appropriate, as it seems to me to be ignoring MPSC rules.”
That existing rule allows customers to read their own meters, sending the information directly to utilities and skipping the need for a meter reader.
Opsommer said he saw some aspects in the application that led him to believe a compromise of sorts was possible, and while he appreciated the work that went into the proposal he still felt that legislation in the area would ultimately still be needed to address the issue. Much of what is in the filing appears tentative and subject to change.
“I saw nothing in this application that answers the questions the attorney general’s office has had, asking the utilities to justify what real benefits consumers will receive in exchange for paying higher electrical rates associated with a smart meter rollout,” Opsommer said. “And I still need more information to make sure hackers can’t cause a virtual blackout via wireless remote power shutoffs.”
Opsommer said that while he did not agree with all aspects of the DTE application, he gave them credit for being first out of the blocks with more detailed information. Consumers Energy has also stated they are offering an opt-out, but it is not yet publicly available.