on Wednesday sought additional details on the mechanisms being put in place to protect families, small businesses, and communities from high electricity bills as data centers and large load manufacturing projects come online in states like Mississippi. “We talk a lot about affordability, and in your testimonies and your written statements, it was one of the top priorities. Mississippi, my home state, continues to be at the forefront of safeguarding ratepayers by ensuring companies, like data centers, pay their fair share for large loads,” Hyde-Smith said. “What mechanisms is FERC implementing specifically for large load customers to pay upfront payments and commitments to maintain minimum financial contributions to keep the rates from rising?” It also requires hyper-scalers to coordinate with grid operators to enhance grid resilience and help prevent brownouts.