Technology — Ratepayer bill gains steam

View Online Technology Technology The Big Story  Ratepayer bill gains steam amid data center backlash A bill that seeks to mitigate data centers’ impacts on Americans’ electric bills is gaining steam in the House, as lawmakers face pressure to act in the face of sharp backlash to the sprawling AI infrastructure. © AP Photo/Jenny Kane The bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act would require states to “consider” standards that put the costs on tech companies, rather than individuals.   Its supporters say it could help alleviate potential price spikes caused by power-hungry data centers, but critics say it doesn’t go far enough to solve the problem.   The legislation advanced out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday in a 52-0 vote, a strong display of bipartisan support and a reflection of how the backlash to the data center buildout has crossed party lines.   The measure, which aims to codify a White House pledge signed by tech giants earlier this year, forces state regulators to hold a hearing on a standard that would ensure that large data centers pay for the cost of new power or power lines stemming from their electricity use. It does not force them to actually adopt such standards.   “[I]t has become clear that across the entire industry there is one entity uniquely positioned to stand up for families and communities who are the ones paying electricity bills-and that is this Committee, and our colleagues in Congress,” House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) said in a statement.   The Ratepayer Protection Act also recently got a companion in the Senate, bolstering its chances of becoming law.   Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) introduced the measure in the upper chamber last week.   A spokesperson for the senator said in a statement that he is “encouraged by the bipartisan support and committee passage in the House” and will continue working with the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to get the bill “across the finish line in the Senate.”   Read more in a full report at TheHill.com. Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we’re Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future: Americans see China as more advanced on AI than US: Pew survey A plurality of respondents to a recent survey believe China is further along than the U.S. on developing artificial intelligence, as Trump administration officials accuse a Chinese startup of stealing intellectual property. Thirty-six percent of respondents to the Pew Research Center poll think China is more advanced on AI than the U.S., while just 12 percent believe it is the other way around. One-third of respondents were …  Full Story Trump defends data centers as he expands pledge to make them ‘pay their own way’ President Trump on Thursday expanded his pledge that aims to have data centers “pay their own way” for the electricity they use, but he took the opportunity to defend data centers at the same time. Trump announced that entities ranging from utilities to state governments are joining the pledge, which was already signed by major tech companies. The pledge, which is voluntary, says that data centers should either …  Full Story China says AI development comes from ‘greater self-reliance and strength’ amid stolen tech claims China defended the country’s development of artificial intelligence, stating it comes from “greater self-reliance and strength” after a top White House official accused a Chinese startup of improperly using Anthropic’s latest model and accessing restricted Nvidia chips. Lin Jian, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told reporters on Wednesday the country “opposes politicizing and instrumentalizing …  Full Story Google hit with $1B fine in Europe The European Union fined Google about $1 billion on Thursday for violating its digital competition law, finding the company improperly favored its own products in Google Search and limited developers from directing users to third-party app stores. The EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, hit the company with a 460 million euro fine and a 430 million euro fine over the two violations of the Digital Markets Act …  Full Story The Refresh  News we’ve flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics: Alphabet's cash burn raises alarm for Big Tech as AI spending climbs (Reuters) Intel soars after AI data center gains bolster sales forecast (Bloomberg) In Other News  Branch out with other reads on The Hill: White House official accuses Chinese startup of distilling Anthropic model, accessing banned Nvidia chips A top White House official accused a Chinese startup on Wednesday of improperly using Anthropic’s latest model and accessing restricted Nvidia chips to develop its new Kimi model. Michael Kratsios, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said the administration has information that Moonshot AI distilled Anthropic’s Fable to produce Kimi K3. Distillation refers to a technique used … Full Story   You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Technology page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 Copyright © 1998 - 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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