Resident questions $15 smart-meter charge and asks board to probe shielding options

Judith Forbes told the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities during public comment that she is concerned about a recurring $15 monthly charge tied to meter service and whether utilities will continue to raise that fee over time. "Why I should pay $15 a month when JCP and L only comes out maybe 6 times a year," Forbes said, adding she had spoken with utility employees who described the fee as a way to cover equipment maintenance.

Forbes also raised a separate technical concern, asking the board to consider whether a metal barrier behind a smart meter could "deflect any energy, or waves that are coming out of the smart meter that might enter the house," and whether utilities could offer such shielding to customers, either at cost or paid by the utility.

Board leadership acknowledged Forbes's comments and said staff had been in email contact with her. The chair noted the board recognizes benefits of advanced metering infrastructure, including "helping to provide information to the utilities to bring service back online after storms or outage events," while saying staff would "look more into what you're referring to in terms of the metal shield." The board did not take further action during this meeting.

Context: Forbes framed her remarks around affordability for some customers who prefer to retain analog meters and questioned whether utilities should absorb meter-related fees rather than passing them to ratepayers. The record does not include a formal response from the utility (JCP&L) during this session; the board said staff would follow up.