• Due to recent reports that smart meters had overheated and possibly led to fires in Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Maryland Public Service Commission (MPSC) held a hearing on August 28, 2012, to obtain an update from Baltimore Gas & Electric Company, Potomac Electric Power Company, Delmarva Power & Light Company, and Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, Inc. on the type of smart meters that will be or are currently installed within their respective service territories and whether they were aware of any issues of electrical overheating or malfunction. At the hearing, the companies provided oral comments and responded to questions from the MPSC. Each acknowledged reports of overheating, but none of the companies reported overheating that they attributed to the smart meters. Instead, the companies attributed overheating to aging and old electrical sockets in consumers’ homes. Other groups, including consumers and consumer advocates, will have an opportunity to file comment on the question of the risks of electrical overheating and malfunction posed by smart meters before October 1, 2012. The MPSC Notice of Opportunity to Comment is available here.
  • Comments on the FCC Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding medical body area networks (MBANs), and specifically the proposed procedures to pick an entity to coordinate MBAN use, are due September 10, 2012, and Reply Comments are due September 28, 2012. ET Dockets No. 08-59 and 12-54. The FNPRM, which was combined with a First Report and Order, is available here.