Data Center Boom Strains Communities, Some Panelists Say

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2026 – Virginia’s Loudon County, the largest data center market in the world, has become the focal point of the backlash against AI-driven deployment, panelists demonstrated during a Broadband Breakfast Live Online event Wednesday.

The issue may have already hardened into a defining political issue of 2026.

The leader of one environmental group said public approval in Virginia has collapsed from 62 percent unconcerned to a 23 percent approval rating. That was according to Tim Cywinski , communications director for the Sierra Club Virginia chapter, and who spoke on Wednesday.

Broadband Breakfast on May 13, 2026 – The Politics of Data CentersWho decides where data centers get built?Broadband BreakfastTim Cywinski

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"This isn't about technology. It's not about the politics per se of, like, left versus right. It's about who has power and who doesn't," Cywinski said, citing electric bills that have risen as much as 200 percent since 2020 and a $1.9 billion state tax break for the industry.

He said 29 of 31 Virginia data center developments under negotiations had to sign nondisclosure agreements before proceeding.

The case for the build-out

Chip Pickering , CEO of the internet and competitive network association INCOMPAS, took a different perspective, touting the benefits made available by the data center boom.

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