Bill · H.R. 9655· House(119-HR-9655)
FAIR Data Act
- Introduced
- 7/13/2026
- Last activity
- 7/13/2026 — Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Sponsored by
- Josh Riley
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Fair Allocation of Infrastructure Responsibility for Data Act" (FAIR Data Act) stops investor-owned, State-regulated electric utilities from passing the costs of "covered data centers" onto residential or small business customers. This includes costs for upgrading the electric grid to meet the energy demands of these large facilities. The bill requires State regulatory authorities to consider and determine the implementation of this standard within specific timeframes. It also ties certain Department of Energy funding to the certification that these costs are not being recovered through increased rates. Additionally, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission must report annually on how these data centers impact grid reliability and electricity rates.
Yes· 3 of 13
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+8
Protects low-income residential users from paying for industrial grid upgrades.
Would middle-income households be better off under this?+7
Protects middle-class households from higher electricity rates.
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?+7
Protects residential and small business consumers from unfair utility rate increases.
The opposite
Would billionaires be better off under this?-5
Increases costs for the large entities and investors who own major data centers.
Does this leave more decisions to the states?-3
Limits state flexibility in ratemaking by imposing federal requirements to maintain funding.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Protection from Rate Increases: Residential and small business electric consumers will not have to pay for costs associated with covered data centers, including grid upgrades needed to meet their energy demands. This is found in Section 2(a).
-
Accountability for Data Centers: Data center operators who claimed their facilities would lower utility bills for the community must provide an annual report on the actual cost savings. This is found in Section 3(a)(2).
-
Increased Transparency: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will provide an annual report to Congress regarding the impact of covered data centers on grid reliability and electricity rates. This is found in Section 3(b).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Potential Loss of State Funding: State regulatory authorities may lose funds from the Secretary for administrative or technical assistance if they cannot certify that costs are not being recovered from consumers or if they fail to require reports from data center operators. This is found in Section 3(a).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Low Income Households+8Good For Middle Class Households+7Good For Business Owners+5Good For Retirees+5Good For Rural Residents+5Good For Seniors+5Good For Urban Residents+5Good For Billionaires-5
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+7Improves Small Business Support+5
- Education And Technology
- Increases Big Tech Regulation+6
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+5Increases Federal Power+4Increase States Rights-3
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+3
- 8/13/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/13/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
Jefferson Van DrewRepublican · New Jersey
Gabe VasquezDemocrat · New Mexico