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The Data Center Coalition is spending big to win hearts and minds as over half a million Americans organize against hyperscale facilities
The Data Center Coalition, led by President Josh Levi, has been rolling out its America Connects initiative since 2024, planting flags in battleground states like Pennsylvania and Georgia with localized campaigns. Think “Connected Georgia” and “Pennsylvania Connects,” each tailored to make the case that data centers are economic engines, not energy-guzzling eyesores.
The opposition is not small #
By mid-2026, roughly 525,000 people had joined hundreds of local opposition groups spanning more than 40 states.
The resistance hit a symbolic peak on July 18, 2026, when organizers pulled off a coordinated national day of protest featuring 142 events across 42 states. Georgia alone saw 11 protests on a single day. The grievances are specific and varied: energy consumption, water usage, noise pollution, tax incentives that feel lopsided, and electricity costs getting passed to ratepayers who never asked for a server farm next door.
Approximately 70% of voters in areas affected by proposed data center developments oppose these facilities.
The industry’s counter-strategy #
The America Connects campaign has expanded its reach to include Texas and Ohio alongside its earlier state efforts. The playbook leans heavily on advertising that emphasizes job creation, tax revenue, and broader economic benefits.
Running parallel to the DCC’s efforts is the AI Infrastructure Coalition, a separate group founded on November 19, 2025, that counts Microsoft and Google among its members. Where America Connects focuses on community-level persuasion, the AI Infrastructure Coalition operates at the policy level, advocating for frameworks that support US leadership in artificial intelligence and the physical infrastructure required to maintain it.
The industry has also started offering assurances around ratepayer protections, a direct response to one of the most potent criticisms: that ordinary households end up subsidizing the electricity demands of facilities that primarily benefit trillion-dollar tech companies.
Local governments caught in the middle #
Multiple states have seen moratorium proposals introduced, and increased regulatory scrutiny has already caused delays and outright withdrawals of planned projects.
The data center industry is ramping up lobbying efforts to shape both public opinion and legislative outcomes, spanning multiple states with tailored campaigns and a coalition backed by Microsoft and Google.
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