Instant Action to Support MA Smart Meter Opt-Out Legislation,
There have been many action steps in this process. This is most likely the last for this 2-year session, and meter installations are already underway.
This action item was created by colleagues at Our RevolutionMA.
Our Revolution Massachusetts (ORMA), formed by Massachusetts supporters of Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, includes local campaign groups, delegates who had represented Sanders at the Democratic Convention, labor representatives and individual supporters across the state. LEARN MORE
There is one action quick item for the Senate and one item for the House.
On the Senate side, an amendment for an opt out has been added to the Omnibus Energy Bill, up for debate July 1.
On the House side, the sponsor of the original bill is seeking to restore the protections for consumers that were removed when the bill was redrafted.
Act NOW to support smart meter legislation in the MA Legislature
Utility companies right now are replacing electric meters across the Commonwealth with “smart” meters. You may have received a form letter from your utility company announcing this program as a way for consumers to have more knowledge about our personal use of electricity.
What they don’t tell you is:
Smart meters give utility companies detailed information about your personal use of electricity, which they can sell and share without your consent, posing a privacy risk.
Smart meters pose significant health risks to humans, especially to children, and to the environment.
If you can choose an alternative metering form, you will pay extra, possibly $300 – $400 per year.
Smart meters give utilities the ability to shut off your power and/or wireless devises in your household remotely.
Instant Actions - fill out the forms
Click here to request that your state Senator support and cosponsor amendment #6 to S.3143, the Senate Energy Bill, by Senator Michael Moore to preserve your right to opt out of having a smart meter on your home with no additional cost. (Click HERE for amendment text.)
Click here to ask your state House Representative to contact House leadership and members of the Third Reading Committee to favorably report out H. 5292 (originally H. 3551 An Act relative to smart meters) so that the individual bill on a smart meter opt out can move forward to a vote.
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More Background: MA Smart Meter Opt-Out Legislation Message to Voters, Another Option if you want to send your own correspondence (numbers count!)
This is our main chance to enlist MA Senate support for consumer protection against wireless “smart” utility meters and punitive surcharges.
Find your Senator and Representative Here; Find My Legislator
The much-anticipated Senate Energy Bill will be debated for one day, Wednesday July 1.
Senator Michael Moore has filed Amendment #6, Smart Meter Opt-Out. The amendment will allow ratepayers to choose what type of utility meters to have installed on the property, and to choose a non-wireless-transmitting analog meter without paying any fees or penalties. A majority vote is required for the amendment to be adopted.
Smart meters use radiofrequency (RF) radiation to send utility companies billing information about electricity and gas consumption, and to connect users to the Internet of Things.
Smart meter radiation can cause serious health problems, especially for children. A 2025 study partially funded by the World Health Organization determined “high certainty” that this radiation causes both cancer and DNA damage. RF radiation is also associated with infertility, anxiety, depression, insomnia and cognitive impairment.
Smart meters impinge on privacy and personal liberty issues as they transmit information about your daily living, including when someone is home and which appliances and devices you are using. Utility companies can share this data with contractors and government agencies, and your data can also be hacked as it transmits through the air.
The statewide deployment of smart electric meters for all ratepayers is in ongoing. The DPU has mandated that electric companies must offer an opt-out, but the monthly fees are excessive. Utility company customer engagement strategies are designed to make it as difficult as possible for individual ratepayers to opt out. Amendment #6 will strengthen consumer choice and will eliminate the associated fees.
Please ask your Senator to co-sponsor Amendment #6 and to vote for its adoption - Up for Debate on July 1
SAMPLE MESSAGE TO SENATORS
Subject: Please Support Amendment #6 (Smart Meter Opt-Out) to the Senate Energy Bill.
Dear Senator ________
I write to request your co-sponsorship and your vote for Amendment #6 to the Senate Energy Bill, which will be debated on Wednesday July 1.
The amendment, Smart Meter Opt-Out, filed by Senator Michael Moore, will allow ratepayers to choose what type of utility meters to have installed on the property, and to choose a non-wireless-transmitting analog meter without paying any fees or penalties.
The statewide deployment of smart electric meters for all ratepayers is ongoing. DPU has mandated that electric companies must offer an opt-out, but the monthly fees are excessive. National Grid is charging $26 per month for opting out, while Eversource is charging $34. Boston 25 News called the Eversource charge “hefty.”
Utility company customer engagement strategies are designed to make it as difficult as possible for individual ratepayers to opt out. Some customers have requested and paid to opt out, only to find their new meters aggressively transmitting wireless signals. Amendment #6 will strengthen consumer choice and protection, and will eliminate the associated fees.
Smart meter radiation can cause serious health problems, especially for children. A 2025 study partially funded by the World Health Organization determined “high certainty” that this radiation causes both cancer and DNA damage. RF radiation is also associated with infertility, headaches, tinnitus, anxiety, depression, insomnia and cognitive impairment.
Outdated 1996 FCC Guidelines for human exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields are supposed to ensure that smart meters are safe. But in 2021 the U.S Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit found FCC decision-making “arbitrary and capricious” for failure to respond to thousands of pages of scientific evidence of harm to human health and the environment. The FCC has yet to respond to the court order. It cannot be a coincidence that members of the public who have abandoned their homes because of health problems that began immediately after the installation of a smart meter regularly testify at DPU and at State House hearings about the harm they have experienced.
Smart meters impinge on privacy and personal liberty issues as they transmit information about patterns of daily living, including when someone is at home and which appliances and devices are in use. Utility companies can share this data with contractors and government agencies. Personal data can also be hacked as it transmits through the air.
Right now, while the rollout of smart electric meters in in progress, we need to ensure that anyone who needs to opt out of having a wireless smart meter on his or her home can make that choice. Please co-sponsor Amendment #6 to the Senate Energy Bill, and please give this important amendment your vote.
Also copy: Senate President Karen Spilka, Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues, and Senate JCTUE Chair Mike Barrett.
Michael.Rodrigues@masenate.gov
For the House bill, please contact your representative and request that they advocate for their constituents for the consumer protections with Speaker Mariano, or use the one-click action above.
Thanks as always for all you do.