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  "description": "A recent survey found 75 percent of U.S. adults lack confidence that data center developers will cover costs.",
  "path": "/americans-are-skeptical-big-tech-will-cover-all-data-center-costs/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-24T20:08:06.000Z",
  "site": "https://broadbandbreakfast.com",
  "tags": [
    "survey",
    "Learn about America250 / Telecom150",
    "Last March",
    "Ratepayer Protection Pledge",
    "said",
    "the release",
    "Ratepayer Protection Act Bill",
    "Wednesday"
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  "textContent": "WASHINGTON, June 24, 2026 – Americans are skeptical of promises that large data center developers have made to cover all costs associated with the energy needed to supply their facilities.\n\nA recent survey from Consumer Reports found 75 percent of more than 2,000 U.S. adults surveyed were skeptical about promises made to cover data center costs, saying that they were “not too confident” or “not at all confident” that companies will follow through on their promises.\n\nLearn about America250 / Telecom150\n\n\n                            Learn about America250 / Telecom150\n                        \n\nLast March, the White House issued the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, compelling companies to cover the full costs of energy and infrastructure needed for their facilities “no matter what.” Seven major artificial intelligence companies – Amazon, Oracle, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI and xAI – signed the pledge.\n\nCritics said that the deal was not backed by the force of law. Sen. **Mark Kelly** , D-Ariz., said that the agreement was an equivalent of a “handshake deal” that was not strong enough to protect ratepayers.\n\nA majority of both parties showed a lack of confidence in the agreement, with 83 percent of Democrats and 67 percent of Republicans showing skepticism. Only 4 percent of Americans said they were “very confident” companies would cover full costs.\n\n“Promises alone do not appear sufficient to assuage Americans’ very legitimate concerns about these large, energy-intensive facilities being built in their communities as their electricity bills continue to rise,” said Consumer Reports' manager of sustainability advocacy, **Chris Harto** ,**** in the release.\n\nAnother survey conducted by CR indicated that 78 percent of respondents were concerned that household energy bills would increase because of data centers. Harto noted that energy costs for Americans are skyrocketing in the U.S, so companies need to demonstrate that they are covering all costs and not passing the bill to Americans.\n\nTo trust that tech companies would deliver on their promises, 47 percent of respondents said that laws and regulations would need to require companies to follow through. Other options like non-profit groups, the government, transparency on energy costs and utility agreements and companies providing annual reports on energy use and costs received roughly 20 percent of respondents' support.\n\n**Evan Feeney** , associate director of corporate engagement at Consumer Reports, explained that there is a trust gap between Americans and technology companies that are constructing data centers.\n\nFeeney said, “Bridging that trust gap will require real accountability from the companies. That means enforceable commitments, transparent contracts and independent verification that ensure the costs of powering data centers are borne by the companies driving demand.”\n\nThe House Energy and Commerce Committee will vote on a suite of bills, along with the Ratepayer Protection Act Bill on Wednesday.\n\nConsumer Reports is an American non-profit consumer organization in Yonkers, New York.",
  "title": "Americans Are Skeptical Big Tech Will Cover All Data Center Costs",
  "updatedAt": "2026-07-10T21:47:50.940Z"
}