LOCAL WIRELESS “HUB” AKA “COLLECTION STATION” (FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE TORNADO WARNING SYSTEM FOR THE CITY, MOUNTED ON 13 OR SO POLES, CITY-WIDE; THE SIRENS WERE DISMANTLED AFTER SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS OCCURRED IN 2016 BUT THE POLES REMAINED; NOW THEY ARE CO-OPTED FOR WIRELESS NEIGHBORHOOD COLLECTION OF DATA).
THE POLE SHOWN IN THE BELOW PHOTO HAS ANTENNAE THAT WIRELESSLY COLLECT DATA FOR BOTH WATER AND ELECTRIC USAGE. THE TOP ANTENNA COLLECTS WATER USAGE DATA IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND WHAT THE LANDIS & GYR TECHNICIAN IS DOING ON THE COLLECTION POLE IS INSTALLING THE TECHNOLOGY, LOWER DOWN, THAT COLLECTS THE “SMART” METER INFORMATION FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD’S WIRELESS “MESH NETWORK,” BEFORE SENDING IT ALL BACK, HARD WIRED, TO THE “MOTHERSHIP” (AKA, THE LONGMONT POWER COMPANY’S DATABASES) VIA LONGMONT’S FIBER OPTIC NETWORK.
THIS “FIBER TO THE PREMISES” NETWORK CAME TO LONGMONT AT THE BEHEST OF CITIZENS AND GOVERNMENT, BOTH INTERESTED IN LONGMONT HAVING FAST, AFFORDABLE, AND LOCAL INTERNET SERVICE, NO LONGER MONOPOLIZED BY COMCAST AND CENTURY LINK. ERGO, THE FIBER NETWORK IS THE KEY TO THE CITY’S AWARD WINNING NEXTLIGHT INTERNET SERVICE. BUT WE THINK IT COULD BE USED, IF THE CITY CHOSE, FOR CONVEYING THE COLLECTED DATA ON ENERGY AND WATER USAGE, BILLING, AND OTHER, BACK TO THE UTILITY IN A FULLY HARD-WIRED CAPACITY. BUT THIS WOULD ONLY BE IF (AND IT’S A BIG ONE) THE CITY DECIDED TO SLOW DOWN OR HALT ITS MARCH TOWARDS ALL THINGS WIRELESS FOR ENERGY USAGE DATA COLLECTION. IT’S OUR OPINION, INFORMED BY EXPERTS, THAT HARD WIRED DATA COLLECTION WOULD SAVE THE RESIDENTS A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY (AND THE MILLIONS SPENT ON THE AMI PROGRAM) AND WE’RE CONVINCED THE INCOMING WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY 1) WILL FAIL TO LIVE UP TO THE PROMISE TO “SAVE US”, 2) BRINGS FIRE AND SECURITY RISKS, 3) COMPROMISES BIOLOGICAL BEINGS’ HEALTH AND SAFETY, AND 4) BRINGS IN THE ELEMENT OF PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE IN THE METERS, WHICH ARE NOWHERE NEAR AS LONG-LIVED AS ELECTRO-MECHANICAL “ANALOG” METERS.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE FOLLOWING CLEVER CARTOON (IN OUR OPINION) DISPLAYS
THE ATTITUDE OF THIS (OR ANY) CITY THAT DOES NOT PUT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY
OF ITS RESIDENTS FIRST AND FOREMOST. USED BY KIND PERMISSION OF THE ARTIST.
