Bipartisan bill fails to protect US consumers from datacenters’ true costs, critics warn

Experts say Ratepayer Protection Act ‘posing as a consumer protection measure’ and will raise prices on working people The bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act, designed to shield individuals from soaring electricity prices amid the datacenter boom, would fail to meaningfully protect the public from the centers’ true costs, consumer advocates warn. The bill, backed by some in big tech such as Microsoft, moved through a House subcommittee in mid-June, and a vote in full committee scheduled for 1 July was delayed. Its measures are largely voluntary, meaning the state utility commissions that set electric rates can ignore the law altogether. Continue reading...

Tom Perkins · Sun, Jul 5, 2026, 5:00 AM
US news | The Guardian

Bipartisan bill fails to protect US consumers from datacenters’ true costs, critics warn

Experts say Ratepayer Protection Act ‘posing as a consumer protection measure’ and will raise prices on working people

The bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act, designed to shield individuals from soaring electricity prices amid the datacenter boom, would fail to meaningfully protect the public from the centers’ true costs, consumer advocates warn.

The bill, backed by some in big tech such as Microsoft, moved through a House subcommittee in mid-June, and a vote in full committee scheduled for 1 July was delayed. Its measures are largely voluntary, meaning the state utility commissions that set electric rates can ignore the law altogether.

This page shows an excerpt; reporting belongs to the original publisher. Some images or embeds may be omitted compared with the live article.