Research and Data
Metro Colo Advisory ResearchIndependent Data on Data Center Power, Cost and Networks
Our research team builds each tracker from utility filings, regulatory dockets, FCC notices and earnings materials, and links every figure to its source. The data is free to use and cite.
Browse the ResearchUpdated November 2026.
Metro Colo Advisory Research is the work of our in-house research team, built to answer the three questions our clients pay us to answer.
We build every tracker from primary documents, keep each source's own definitions, and link each figure to the filing it came from. All of it is free to download and cite.
- Al Jazeera
- Fortune
- The Daily Upside
- Yahoo Finance
- Data Center Knowledge
- Moneywise
- KCTV5
- Energy Changemakers
- Data Center POST
- VMblog
Put the Research to Work
The same work behind these trackers is what clients hire us for: finding capacity that is actually powered, and testing whether a site's power is real before money is spent.
Trackers and Datasets
Each one answers a single question with sourced numbers, and each is updated as new filings come in.
AI Power Reality Check
How much data center power US utilities say has been requested, how much is under signed contract and how much is actually running, quarter by quarter, in each utility's own words. Includes a log of named data center power deals before state regulators.
Each figure keeps the utility's own definition, the page or slide it came from and the date it refers to. Utilities are never added together.
Big Tech Data Center Lease Tracker
Data center leases Microsoft, Meta, Oracle and Alphabet have signed but not yet started, quarter by quarter since 2023, with the start dates, lease terms and exact filing wording behind every figure.
Data Center Electric Rates
How data centers and other very large customers pay for power, utility by utility: large-load tariffs, data center rate classes, special contracts, decision dates and the household bill impacts each state has stated.
Copper Landline Retirement
Where AT&T, Verizon and other carriers have filed with the FCC to retire copper landline service, with every filing linked and a lookup of affected wire centers by state.
Data Center Cost
What it costs to build, lease and run a data center in North America: cost per megawatt and per watt, lease rates, power use and power cost, AI hardware prices, vacancy and delivery timelines.
Where Our Research Has Appeared
Our data and analysis have been quoted, cited or published by these outlets.
How We Build Our Research
Primary documents only
Figures come from utility filings, SEC filings, regulatory dockets, FCC notices and grid operator reports. News coverage is used only to find those documents.
The source's own words
Each figure keeps the label and unit its source uses, the page or slide it appears on and the date it refers to. We do not add up figures that use different definitions.
Independent review before release
Before each tracker is published or updated, we run a separate review that re-opens the source documents and tests every headline figure against them.
Corrections in public
When a figure is wrong, we fix it on the tracker and in the downloadable data. Send the document and page number through our contact page.
Metro Colo Advisory funds its own research. The firm earns fees from fixed-fee consulting and is paid by data center and network providers when it places a client with them. No provider pays to be included in our research, and no provider reviews it before it is published. Our trackers cover utilities, regulators and public filings, not operators.
Use, Cite and Ask Us
All of our data is free to use under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Credit Metro Colo Advisory and link to the tracker the figures came from.
How to cite
Use the tracker name and the date of the data.
Request data or comment
We answer in writing, by email.
Is the power at your site real?
A utility pipeline is not a contract, and a contract is not a connection. We review what a utility has actually committed to a site, whether it is raw land, a powered shell or a build to suit project, before owners, developers and investors commit capital. Fixed-fee engagements start at $45,000. We reply within 24 hours.
Get the Raw Data
Every tracker has a CSV download with the source link, page and exact wording for each figure.
Versioned archives with permanent DOIs for long-term citation, each with a README and data dictionary, linked from each dataset above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Metro Colo Advisory research free to use?
Yes. Every dataset is free to use, including in news coverage, research and commercial work, under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Credit Metro Colo Advisory and link to the tracker the figures came from.
Who does the research?
Metro Colo Advisory's in-house research team, led by James Mercer. The same team supports the firm's clients on data center power, sites and capacity, so the trackers are built from the same kinds of documents we read for client work.
Where does the data come from?
From primary documents: utility earnings materials and SEC filings, state regulatory dockets, FCC filings and grid operator reports. News coverage is used only to find those documents. Every figure links to the document it came from, with the page or slide where it appears.
How often is the research updated?
The AI Power Reality Check is updated after each utility earnings season. The electric rates and copper retirement trackers are updated as new filings and notices are posted. Each page shows the date its figures refer to.
Who pays for this research?
Metro Colo Advisory funds it. The firm earns fees from fixed-fee consulting and is paid by data center and network providers when it places a client with them. No provider pays to be included in the research or reviews it before publication.
How do I report an error or request a data cut?
Use our contact page and include the document and page number for any correction. We publish corrections on the tracker itself. Reporters can also request a state or utility cut of the data, or written comment, and we reply within 24 hours.
Page updated November 2026.