(TNS) \u2014 U.S. Rep. Josh Riley, D-NY-19, and Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-Utah, on Friday introduced the Smart Meter Data Privacy Protection Act, bipartisan legislation \u201cto ban utility companies from selling Upstate New Yorkers\u2019 private data and crack down on the misuse of personal information collected through smart meters,\u201d according to a news release from Riley\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
\u201cUpstate New York\u2019s utility monopolies rolled out smart meters under the guise of streamlining billing, and hit customers who declined to install one with extra fees,\u201d the release stated. Customers who keep their analog meters pay New York State Electric & Gas a monthly opt-out fee of $13.47 per month.<\/p>\n
According to the release, the new meters \u201ccapture detailed, real-time information on household energy patterns, daily routines and habits \u2014 data that industry analysts call a \u2018holy grail\u2019 for marketers and data aggregators.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sale of smart-meter data is projected to grow into a billion-dollar industry,\u201d the release stated.<\/p>\n
The Smart Meter Data Privacy Protection Act mandates that utilities can only use customers\u2019 energy-usage data for \u201ccore functions\u201d such as billing, grid reliability, outages and regulatory compliance. The legislation also prevents utility companies from selling or sharing customer data without consent.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody asked for smart meters. The utilities rolled them out anyway, and if you didn\u2019t want one, they charged you extra just to opt out,\u201d Riley said. \u201cNow they\u2019re raking in millions selling all the data the smart meters collect \u2014 when you turn the lights on, when you cook dinner, when you take a shower, even when you shut the TV off at night.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bill also requires utilities to give customers monthly reports explaining what data was collected, how it was used and who it was shared with. Under Riley\u2019s legislation, if a utility improperly profits from a customer\u2019s data, it must pay that customer back through bill credits equal to the revenue it earned from the misuse., the release stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must be certain to protect Americans\u2019 personal privacy. Smart meters can reveal families\u2019 daily routines in granular detail, but no one should have to surrender their personal data just to keep the lights on,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cI am proud to join Rep. Josh Riley in this effort to protect Americans\u2019 right to privacy and make clear that their personal data should not be a commodity.\u201d<\/p>\n