Ohio Edison Bad Business?

Ohio Administrative Code » 4901

The "code" states that the citizenry are free to choose analog or digital metering

In 2016 the oversight committee of the utility monopoly here known as PUCO and Ohio Edison themselves both informed us in 2016 that they would adhere to the law and we would be free to keep our analog meter.

However, here it is February 16, 2018 almost to the anniversary of the promise 2 years ago and the monopoly without notice disconnected our power to slip a digital meter on the private property anyway.

The following is the first rough draft in a public statement I intend to publish.

On February 16, 2018 I was into a 68 hour recovery of documents being retrieved from an ailing hard drive. Suddenly the power was disconnected, then shortly thereafter the power came back on, but the damage was already done. The recovery was a total loss and the hard drive became further damaged.

On February 16, 2018, without notice, Ohio Edison arrived on the property to disconnect our lawfully Ohio Edison-installed analog meter and replaced it with a Digital meter.

When I confronted the Ohio Edison employee as to why he had without notice disconnected the lawful meter and was walking away with that meter in his hand, he stated that it's something that is being done all over Ohio. His demeanor infuriated me as I began to tell of the damage that his/Ohio Edison's actions has caused. I stated that P.U.C.O., the oversight commission, and Ohio Edison themselves had both just broken their promise to leave us alone and allow us to have the lawful analog meter, an agreement that was concluded back in 2016.

After making a call to his office, he then “offered” to put the analog meter back on our private property. I was still quite beside myself as to the damage that this guy has just caused and told him to just leave (I think I stated that he could take both those meters and stick them up his ar se.).

That very same day the monopoly, ohio edison, cut the power line to the house leaving us with no way to obtain water from our well which operated on 220v. Keep in mind that the Agreement holder of the electricity here is between Ohio Edison and my mother (who was down in Florida and not due to return here until the Spring). She was not even aware of the sneaky operation by Ohio Edison or even my altercation with Ohio Edison.

Is it even legal that another entity, whether it be the neighbor or your child, to be able to disconnect a service agreement in which they're not named?

The agreement between myself and PUCO/Ohio Edison had evolved due to a series of incidents in 2016, one video can be seen here, which was uploaded to Youtube in 2016:

https://youtu.be/2PTIKOjZgVw

or

here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PTIKOjZgVw

December 2018 update: In case you are wondering why the videos above have disappeared (censored) from another monopoly called YouTube, it's par for the course for me (which is what prompted me to create my own server to host my own videos in an effort to circumvent the complete censorship of an honest video void of any copyright or any other "legal" ploy that the enterprisers use against us).

Another incident, not yet censoreed, was documented and uploaded to Youtube in 2014 which related to 6 bills that were sent to us in a 2 months period (6 bills for only 1 month of service, all with different totals, all with different price per kwh).

This incident can be seen here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG1K9DC7R1w

Each of the bills showed different amounts per kilowatt hour and 6 different totals that started with Ohio Edison owing us money, to us owing over $700.00 for service to Ohio Edison. Although there's much to be said about the billing practices, it should be noted that when I received the first three bills showing amounts that were all over the place, I asked to have the meter pulled (so, the following three bills should be VERY interesting as there could not possibly have been service since there wasn't a meter, apparently catching Ohio Edison off guard. Had we NOT documented everything and had that meter Not been pulled, we surely would not have had a leg to stand on to prove the problem stemmed from Ohio Edison.

I work in the digital field and on February 16 have incurred a life-changing intrusion by Ohio Edison. Now I'd like to state why we should NOT want to go to Digital meters.

1.) If Ohio Edison can receive a signal from the meter, they can send a signal with very little alteration of the meter (one example of how damaging digital can be is simply recalling a past election where Bush wasn't elected either time but the digital meters were tampered with and we had "our" president for two terms).

2.) We have all witnessed how easy it is to hack ALL wireless connections, including bluetooth, Internet, infrared, cell phones, etc. Anyone watching a youtube video using keywords such as "hack wireless in under 3 minutes" is able to learn how easy it is to do.

3.) Unlike a digital meter, an analog meter is not so easily tampered with. One would have to open the meter and somehow manually turn the dial backwards (if that's even possible). It is not possible to install an additional device that can remotely accomplish the feat of altering the analog meter (whereas a digital meter need only receive a simple adjustment and additional programming and we have TWO-WAY communications).

4.) The reason I bothered to include the aforementioned 2014 incident which documents the 6 different bills in a 2 month period (1 month without even having a meter!) is to show the effects that can come from trusting digital meters. Digital meters, as well as the devices to remotely access them, can be cloned, stolen, misused, or worse. For instance, if the meter is putting out a signal that can be retrieved from an Ohio Edison drive-by, one need only place an intermediary device running Kali, Backtrack, or any of the myriad of other readily available systems to catch the signal, crack the signal, and divert or change the signal (which could end disastrously for the end-user or homeowner).

To prove my claims as stated above, one need only contact the publicly renowned backtrack community with the simple request to perform a test of the Ohio Edison digital meter security.

There are other reasons why we should not want digital, but I feel enough has been stated herein already and suffice to copy the law that we would request Ohio Edison adhere to (unless of course, our judiciary and polity are actually one and the same as the monopolies).

Ohio Administrative Code » 4901:1 Utilities Chapter 4901:1-10 Electric Companies 4901:1-10.00

Definitions. As used in this chapter: (A) "Advanced meter" means any electric meter that meets the pertinent engineering standards using digital technology. (B) "Advanced meter opt-out service" means a service provided by an electric utility under the terms and conditions of a commission-approved tariff, which allows a customer to take electric distribution service using a traditional meter. (FF) "Traditional meter" means any meter with an analog display that does not have the capability to communicate with the utility using two-way communications.

4901:1-10-05 Metering. (1) An electric utility shall provide customers with the option to remove an installed digital or advanced meter and replace it with a traditional meter, and the option to decline installation of a digital or advanced meter and retain a traditional meter, including a cost-based, tariffed opt-out service. (3) The electric utility shall notify the customer of the following if a customer expresses interest in using a traditional meter: (b) The electric utility shall explain the facts concerning advanced meters and attempt to address any customer concerns prior to signing up a customer for advanced meter opt-out service. To the extent that the electric utility offers multiple options for the customer to obtain or retain either an advanced meter or a traditional meter, the utility shall explain each option and the associated costs and give the customer choice over the option selection. (4) The electric utility shall have the right to refuse to provide advanced meter opt-out service in either of the following circumstances: (a) If such a service creates a safety hazard to consumers or their premises, the public, or the electric utility's personnel or facilities. (b) If a customer does not allow the electric utility's employees or agents access to the meter at the customer's premises. (c) An electric utility may establish a one-time fee to recover the costs of removing an existing advanced meter, and the subsequent installation of a traditional meter.

This date, February 26, 2018 after more than a week without power, thereby cutting us off from our water supply (the well runs on 220v) and refrigeration, the monopoly stated they would be out to reconnect service. The Agreement holder requested it, no me. By week two without the monopoly electricty I was completely adjusted! (see more how solar and wind power saved the day here:

http://162-207-30-13.lightspeed.cntmoh.sbcglobal.net:8080/solar/batteries.html

When I heard the news that the monopoly is turning the power back on, I called them and stated I would like the lawful analog meter back. The woman representative for Ohio Edison suddenly stated she felt threatened (!!!!!) though I had stated nothing that should cause her to possibly feel threatened about. Since her sudden belligerent unwarranted claim of feeling threatened, I informed her that she is being recorded and that she sounds rather silly implying that I was saying anything that could possibly be construed as a threat (where would we be without recording devices? I for one, find them necessary). She then switched track by stating that she did not authorize my having recorded her at which I responded that Ohio State Law is a single party state pertaining to recording (in other words we are free to record whatever and whenever we want without getting "authorization" from any other party). She then hung up.

This is the arrogance of monopoly control. We have no choices and they know it.

When criminals are our only choice....we're screwed.

It is now March 1, 2017 and the monopoly came back to install their power line. As already stated, the reparations were already made and the loss of the monopoly electricity was now barely noticed. The freezer was put to a doubled-up battery bank and I recorded a video showing how my 5 battery banks/solar arrays had filled the gap to the house by pumping out the water that had accumulated down in the basement. About the only downside that one would notice about Ohio Edison no longer being an entity of control here, was the well pump. However, a trusted friend of mine, Brian Kinter, had struck a deal with me just last night (the night before the March 1st reconnect) that I would perform the networking for his broadcasting station and he would connect my generated power to replace the house's electricity. So the March 1st, 2018 reconnect by the monopoly comes with no joy as I'm typing this section within minutes of the reconnect.

As a final note, I'm back to state that at least the Ohio Edison Company was considerate enough to replace the analog meter on the house (the house I've not lived in for over two years). I will now go in to turn the breakers on for the water only (pending my replacement of that 220v well pump to a 110v pump that my solar and wind can handle without a transformer).