[tomalpha]

A sibling comment makes the more relevant point about powerline, but it’s worth considering that whatever the power company has to pay, you the consumer will be paying for in the end.

You could make the case (a good one I think) that a homeowner providing connectivity should get a discount to their bill, or that the power company could directly charge for a separate communication channel.

That’s kinda saying the same thing in different ways and depending on your point of view they might not feel fair perhaps. But the consumer is paying either way.

Edit: “separate communication channel” could include a human meter reader too!