Georgia Bill Aims to Prevent Residents from Paying for Data Center Infrastructure

Proposed legislation would stop utility companies from passing data center construction costs to small businesses and homeowners

Published on Feb. 6, 2026

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Georgia lawmakers are considering a bipartisan measure to prevent utility companies from passing the costs of new data center infrastructure on to residential consumers. The proposed legislation would stop ratepayers from bearing the financial burden of building new power plants and other facilities required to support the data center industry. The effort follows opposition from residents in Atlanta's Adair Park neighborhood, where a new data center has been proposed.

Why it matters

The issue has raised concerns among residents about the impact of data centers on their local utility bills and community environment. The proposed bill is designed to address widespread anxiety regarding rising utility bills in districts where data centers are being developed.

The details

The proposed bill specifically targets the 'stranded costs' that can occur when residential and business owners are forced to subsidize the construction and capital needs of industrial data facilities, including the building of new power plants and related infrastructure. The goal is to shield smaller ratepayers from these expenses.

  • The proposed legislation is being considered by Georgia lawmakers in 2026.

The players

Brad Thomas

A Republican state representative from Holly Springs, Georgia, who is leading the push for the proposed legislation.

Justin Brew

A resident of the Adair Park neighborhood in Atlanta, where a new data center has been proposed. Brew recognizes his own role in the demand for data storage but opposes the idea of neighbors funding the infrastructure for profitable technology companies.

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What they’re saying

“I feel like there, if you take something like ChatGPT, you guys are making enough money where you can fund your own data centers. Like it doesn't need to come on the neighborhood or the neighbors to fund these things.”

— Justin Brew, Adair Park Resident (WSB-TV)

“And it's about protecting small business owners and residential rate payers. To ensure that anything that's associated with data centers and moving in the costs to construct them, capital costs, don't get stranded on the residential or business owners.”

— Brad Thomas, State Representative (WSB-TV)

What’s next

The Georgia legislature will consider the proposed bill in the coming months, and a decision on whether to pass the legislation could come as early as the spring of 2026.

The takeaway

This proposed legislation highlights the growing tensions between the data center industry and local communities, as residents seek to avoid bearing the financial burden of the infrastructure required to support these profitable technology companies. The outcome of this bill could set a precedent for how data center development is handled in other parts of the country.