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November 21, 2011

Smart meters concern public advocate

By The Mainebiz News Staff

The Office of the Public Advocate is alerting people to possible interference that Central Maine Power Co.'s smart meters can cause with other electronics.

The office sent out a statement saying CMP's wireless meters are interfering with household devices, including garage door openers, Internet routers and fire alarms, and that the company has received over 200 complaints about interference problems. Public Advocate Richard Davies argued CMP isn't doing enough to alert customers to these potential problems and how to resolve them. "My agency is troubled by the possibility that people may be spending their time and money fixing a problem that may be caused by CMP's meters, and that can and should be fixed by CMP," he said in the release.

CMP has replaced about 425,000 meters with smart meters, which use radio frequency transmissions to send data, and plans to install a total of 620,000 of the devices. The company has information on its website directing consumers on how to resolve interference problems, such as relocating devices and changing operating frequencies. Spokesman John Carroll told the Portland Press Herald the company has set up a special unit to address customers' problems.

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