About Social Media Today
My Clean Break column, which now appears Friday in the Toronto Star, questions whether we have the capacity as a society to invest in long-term infrastructure transitions that don’t bear fruit right away. The knee-jerk reaction by some in Ontario (and other jurisdictions) to smart meters and time-of-using pricing is unfortunate, because it reveals a state-of-mind that will also end up impeding other necessary infrastructure transitions. It’s short-sighted and ultimately self-destructive. I will be the first to accept that Ontario’s feed-in-tariff program has problems with its design and price structure, and that in some scenarios there are certainly better ways to reduce CO2 emissions and stimulate jobs. It’s a good program in principle, but delicate adjustments will be needed and much more emphasis must be placed on conservation and co-generation/CHP. But the smart meter program is right on the money. It helps lay a new foundation for the electricity system, the same ways digital technologies and cable modems unleashed the Internet and wireless communication services.
