I agree that for a single meter (which for some reason is bolted to the outside of the house), the risk of vandalism is the same, whether it is remote controlle

I agree that for a single meter (which for some reason is bolted to the outside of the house), the risk of vandalism is the same, whether it is remote controlled or not. However, a vulnerable wireless (or even internet-connected) meter would allow massively scaling up the attack. Taking an entire city (or even country) off the grid by flipping all the breakers would cause some serious damage.