Smart Meter Data Privacy Protection Act

The Smart Meter Data Privacy Protection Act prohibits state-regulated electric utilities that are not wholly owned by U.S. persons from selling or commercially monetizing personal consumption data collected via smart meters, restricting such use to specific operational needs like billing and grid reliability. The bill requires these utilities to submit annual reports to the Federal Trade Commission detailing what data was collected, how it was used, and with whom it was shared. If a utility violates these privacy rules, the FTC can order the company to credit affected customers an amount equal to three times the revenue generated from that unauthorized use. State attorneys general are also granted the authority to sue on behalf of residents to enforce compliance or seek damages, while the FTC is tasked with establishing security standards for data retention.