Last week, the Maryland Public Services Commission rejected the Baltimore Gas and Electric company’s proposal to implement smart meters in its service territory^[1],[2].  BGE’s proposal would have passed on the cost of the new meters to the rate-payers.  This, along with the potential for early obsolescence of the technology, were among the reasons cited by the MPSC for the rejection, which  came as shock to the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) industry.

The MPSC is very rightly concerned about the evolving nature of the technology and its implications for the consumer.  In its role as state utility watchdog, the MPSC is simply rejecting the possibility of the rate-payer’s being charged twice as smart meter technology goes from proprietary to standards-based in the next few years, as the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) is requiring.

More here.