Tom Content: Your Right to Know: Data center secrecy is unacceptable

Your Right to Know: Data Center Secrecy Is Unacceptable

This column expresses the author's personal views and is not endorsed by WisOpinion.com. Secrecy often prevails in state and local government proceedings, limiting public access to important information.

In a recent example, the name “Microsoft” was redacted from a state Public Service Commission (PSC) filing—along with numerous other pages—blocking public view. This censorship was unnecessary because Microsoft’s involvement in the former Racine County site, previously called FoxConn, was publicly announced in 2024 by then-President Joe Biden and widely covered by the media.

PSC laws allow utilities to withhold only specific information from the public and for clear reasons—such as protecting competitive data or trade secrets. However, in practice, this confidentiality is often applied too broadly, covering many more records than justified.

My experience reporting on utilities for the Green Bay Press-Gazette and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel from the late 1990s through 2017 revealed frequent issues with overuse of confidentiality. This problem persists today in my work with the Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin, where protecting utility customers’ rights remains a priority.

“The redactions served no purpose, as the company’s role in the former Racine County site had been announced publicly in 2024 by then President Joe Biden and widely reported.”

Transparency is essential to hold utilities and government accountable and ensure consumers are informed.

Author’s summary: Excessive secrecy in utility records undermines transparency, masking publicly known facts and hindering consumer advocacy in Wisconsin and beyond.

more

WisPolitics WisPolitics — 2025-11-05

More News