If people responsible for communicating about Smart Grid and smart meters think the roll-out is going to be a communications cake walk, consider this post, from the GreenMuze blog, that begins:
A plan by BC Hydro, together with certain financial interests, which has been hatched in secrecy, with zero public consultation, is being sprung on an uninformed population and now threatens our right to choose to live in safe environments. Gulf Islanders for Safe Technology, an ad hoc group formed to oppose “smart metering”, urges residents to examine Hydro’s ill-conceived plan to force a wireless electric power meter radiating at roughly 100 times the strength of a cell phone, 24/7, on every home and workplace.
This is part of a continent-wide “smart grid” plan whereby radiating “smart meters” are being installed on all gas, water and electrical services. Based on what can be understood from the little that Hydro admits about their end of this plan, as well as on the bad experiences of victims of this wireless metering technology in areas where it has already been deployed, it is obvious that citizens now need to work together to bring a halt to the entire program until it can be shown to be safe.
Clearly, this screed is representative of an extreme fringe, but given the speed with which "news" can travel across the web these days, utility communicators need to remain vigilant about individuals and groups among their customers who may need more smart meter information, not less.
There's more where this came from: http://bit.ly/io80gT