RILEY INTRODUCES BILL TO BAN THE SALE OF DATA OBTAINED BY SMART METERS

WASHINGTON, DC -Today, Representative Josh Riley (NY-19) and Representative Mike Kennedy (UT-03) introduced the Smart Meter Data Privacy Protection Act, bipartisan legislation to ban utility companies from selling Upstate New Yorkers' private data and crack down on the misuse of personal information collected through smart meters.

Upstate New York's utility monopolies rolled out smart meters under the guise of streamlining billing, and hit customers who declined to install one with extra fees. Customers who keep their analog meters pay NYSEG a monthly opt-out fee of $13.47 per month, while Central Hudson charges a one time fee of $49 for electric meters and $89 for gas meters.

But the meters do far more than track energy use: they capture detailed, real-time information on household energy patterns, daily routines and habits - data that industry analysts call a "holy grail" for marketers and data aggregators. The sale of smart-meter data is projected to grow into a billion-dollar industry.

The Smart Meter Data Privacy Protection Act mandates that utilities can only use customers' energy-usage data for core functions like billing, grid reliability, outages, and regulatory compliance. The legislation also prevents utility companies from selling or sharing customer data without consent.

"Nobody asked for smart meters. The utilities rolled them out anyway, and if you didn't want one, they charged you extra just to opt out," said Riley. "Now they're raking in millions selling all the data the smart meters collect - when you turn the lights on, when you cook dinner, when you take a shower, even when you shut the TV off at night. Upstate New Yorkers are already paying the foreign-owned utility monopolies too damn much. They shouldn't get to cash in on our private information, too."

The bill also requires utilities to give customers monthly reports explaining what data was collected, how it was used, and who it was shared with. Under Riley's legislation, if a utility improperly profits from a customer's data, it must pay that customer back through bills credits equal to the revenue it earned from the misuse.

"We must be certain to protect Americans' personal privacy. Smart meters can reveal families' daily routines in granular detail, but no one should have to surrender their personal data just to keep the lights on," said Kennedy. "I am proud to join Rep. Josh Riley in this effort to protect Americans' right to privacy and make clear that their personal data should not be a commodity."

This bill builds on Riley's work to stand up to the utility monopolies on behalf of Upstate New Yorkers:

• February 13, 2025 - Introduced the Weatherization Enhancement and Readiness Act (H.R. 1355) to help families reduce energy usage and lower monthly utility bills
• September 18, 2025 - Introduced the Keep the Lights Local Act (H.R. 5487) to ban foreign corporations and governments from owning American utility companies
• April 17, 2026 - Introduced the No Taxes on Utility Bills Act (H.R. 8350) to allow Upstate New Yorkers to to allow taxpayers to deduct taxes and state-mandated surcharges included on their gas and electric utility bills.
• April 29, 2026 - Introduced the Lowering Utility Bills Act (H.R. 8568) to crack down on utility companies overcharging customers.
• July 13, 2026 - Introduced the FAIR Data Act (H.R. 9655) to stop data center projects from driving up energy bills for Upstate New York families and small businesses.
• 2025-2026 - Served as an intervener in the Central Hudson and NYSEG rate cases, where he participated in proceedings and cross-examined utility companies on behalf of ratepayers.

You can read the text of the Smart Meter Data Privacy Protection Act HERE.

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