Barrett Township, PA

Editor's Note: Please be advised that there are health, privacy, and security implications that come along with this new technology!  Below is the actual letter that I recently received from PP&L about new "smart" meters being installed.

Official PP&L Links:

• https://www.pplelectric.com/newmeters
• https://www.pplelectric.com/reliability/new-electric-meters/meter-data-privacy-notice.aspx

Further Reading:

• Examples of sources of High Frequency electromagnetic radiation: Mobile phone towers, Mobile phones, Smart meters and all the appliances that connect to it in ‘smart grid’, Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi enables devices, Cordless phones, Bluetooth, Digital radio and TV, Radar and airport navigation systems, Baby monitors
• stopsmartmeters.org
• Breaking: New Mexico rejects PNM Smart Meter proposal — “it does not promote the public interest”
• Who Will Pay The Ransom When Smart Meters Are Hacked Into?
• Big Government Pushing For Smart Meters Once Again, Will Your Home Be Monitored?

May 11, 2018

In coming months, we will be replacing our electric meter on your property as part of our state-approved plan to upgrade all our customers' electric meters. Your new meter will benefit you in several ways: It will help us improve the reliability of your service by better detecting power outages. And, over time, the new meters will give you improved access to data that will help you manage your energy use. Here's what you can expect during the replacement:

For all who are concerned about losing the Recycling Center in Barrett:

Original Article:

Now you get to do the work that China won’t.

The huge dirty secret of recycling was also one of the world’s worst polluters.

Every branch of government from Washington D.C. to your local town council had spent a fortune convincing people that recycling is a magical process that turns your old pizza boxes into new pizza boxes while creating those imaginary “green jobs” in the community. The reality was a lot dirtier.

All of America’s industries, including trash sorting, had been outsourced to China.

And recycling is just a fancy lefty way of saying "trash." All that recycling, which children in progressive communities are taught to sort as the closest thing to a religious ritual, was really being dumped by the ton on dirty ships and sent over to China. We weren’t recycling it. The Chinese were.

But now China is banning foreign recycling because it’s bad for the environment.

To whom it may concern:

Until recently, with Blue Ridge Cable's phone service, the modem came with a battery backup.  This way, if the power at your house goes out, you can still call 911 while the battery is still charged (approx. 4 hours).

Now, Blue Ridge's modems are the new "DOCSIS 3.1" technology, and they don't include a battery!  They now require you to purchase the battery separately (see below).  Customers that still have the old DOCSIS 3.0 modems will continue to have battery backup available until Blue Ridge replaces that modem.  

For now, my suggestion is that you purchase your own "UPS" battery backup (Amazon link) instead, so that you can plug not only your cable modem, but also your WiFi router, cell phone, laptop, etc.

I received this letter from County Waste regarding an additional $5 monthly fee for recycling pickup service. 

See also, related article: China Throws Recycling Scam in the Trash.  

Actual text from the letter as follows:

June 2018

Dear Valued Customer,

As many of you are aware, recycling programs in the United States have come under fire over the last year. Our costs to provide the service since 1988 were largely provided by the sale of the products we recycled. Unfortunately, the payment received has turned into a bill to accept. This situation has forced us to reconsider or rework the mechanics of the program.