Florida And Kansas Senators Aim To Keep Big Tech Off Your Electric Bill

Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) have introduced a concurrent resolution to support a new "Ratepayer Protection Pledge," aiming to shield American households from bearing the costs of electrical infrastructure for rapidly expanding data centers. The resolution follows a March 4, 2026, agreement brokered at the White House, where tech giants including Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI committed to negotiating separate rate structures. Under this "pay-whether-used" model, these companies would cover the expenses for building and maintaining power infrastructure, preventing these costs from being passed on to residential customers' utility bills. Senator Scott emphasized that Florida families and others nationwide should not subsidize Big Tech's expansion, echoing support for former President Trump's efforts to ensure companies pay their own way. Senator Marshall highlighted concerns from Kansans about potential utility rate hikes due to data center growth. Data center energy consumption, projected to reach 12% of U.S. electricity use by 2028, is a significant driver of these infrastructure demands. The resolution also points to a secondary benefit: incentivizing tech companies to invest in their own backup power and share resources with the public grid during emergencies. It officially calls on the Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to aid in implementing these commitments and encourages other tech and data center firms to voluntarily join the pledge for national energy affordability.