Public outreach needed for smart meters

by Ken Quintanilla

Guam - The Committee on Utilities held an information hearing last night over recent concerns about the Guam Power Authority's plans to install smart meters throughout the island. Committee chair Senator Tom Ada after last night's hearing said that GPA needs to conduct an effective public outreach as customer buy-in to the project will be crucial.

He stated, "Because if they're going to change out these meters, they have to enter the private properties of the customers and if everybody comes out there and puts 'do-not enter sign' then GPA is going to have a difficult time deploying the meters and change out the old meters."

He suggests the idea of allowing customers the option of keeping the conventional meters over the smart meters should be revisited.  Some of the concerns meanwhile ranged from privacy issues to health such as whether radio frequencies would cause insomnia or even be a contributing factor to cancer.