House To Vote on Bill Protecting Homeowners From AI Data Center Power Costs

Lawmakers are poised to vote on a bill that would shield homeowners from higher utility costs brought by large data centers, marking the latest congressional move on the fraught subject of data center and artificial intelligence regulation.The House is set to vote on the Ratepayer Protection Act on Wednesday. It would establish a federal standard recovering the costs that utilities make for upgrades that serve large-load users, like data centers. The bill's sudden ascendance on Congress' agenda shows how quickly data centers have rocketed into the spotlight as a major political issue this year.It also demonstrates the fraught situation Congress faces in regulating artificial intelligence. President Donald Trump wants to see no guardrails on AI and has also shrugged off widespread public opposition to data center development.Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) said on the House floor on Tuesday that the measure brings a "modest but important measure of accountability." It came after lawmakers spent the August recess hearing from constituents back home who are worried about data centers, he said."Electricity demand is growing at a pace not seen since World War II, and communities are rightly c...