# Multimedia 

Multimedia 

---

- [Podcasts](/podcasts)
- [Cato Video](/multimedia/cato-video)
- [Video Series](/search/category/video-series)
- [Events](/multimedia/events)

[ 

Download Episode 

](https://feeds.acast.com/public/streams/5e28e0d8963f166217546493/episodes/696557d11f21449d6dda23dd.mp3)Subscribe:

[ 

Apple Podcasts 

](http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/cato-daily-podcast/id158961219) [ 

Spotify 

](https://open.spotify.com/show/4dHRhKEljj8zcLdl3Gvsv7) 

Cato Weekly Podcast • January 13, 2026 

# Free Markets for Electricity 

As data centers begin demanding power at the scale of entire cities, the electricity system is running headlong into regulatory barriers built for a different era. The Cato Institute’s Travis Fisher sits down with Glen Lyons, the founder of Advocates for Consumer Regulated Electricity, to explore proposals for off-grid utilities, Senator Tom Cotton’s new legislation, and how market-based approaches could accelerate supply while protecting consumers from rising costs and reliability risks.

#### Show Notes 

[![electricity, transmission](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/content_teaser/public/2023-09/electricity%20transmission%202%2C%20getty%20.jpg?itok=L5DQ4H9t)](https://www.cato.org/blog/what-would-consumer-regulated-electricity-look) 

blog 

### [What Would Consumer-Regulated Electricity Look Like?](/blog/what-would-consumer-regulated-electricity-look) 

By [Travis Fisher](https://www.cato.org/people/travis-fisher) 

At the societal level, the obvious upside to allowing competition is that we could finally bring a dynamic market process to the electricity industry.

[![workers](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/content_teaser/public/2024-05/workers.jpg?itok=4vOicU8G)](https://www.cato.org/commentary/new-hampshire-sparks-revolution-electricity-supply) 

Commentary 

### [New Hampshire Sparks a Revolution in Electricity Supply](/commentary/new-hampshire-sparks-revolution-electricity-supply) 

By [Travis Fisher](https://www.cato.org/people/travis-fisher) and Glen Lyons 

The state will exempt providers from utility regulation if they don’t connect to the grid.

[![electricity, transmission](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/content_teaser/public/2023-09/electricity%20transmission%202%2C%20getty%20.jpg?itok=L5DQ4H9t)](https://www.cato.org/blog/speed-power-department-energys-grid-proposal-ferc) 

blog 

### [“Speed to Power” and the Department of Energy’s Grid Proposal to FERC](/blog/speed-power-department-energys-grid-proposal-ferc) 

By [Travis Fisher](https://www.cato.org/people/travis-fisher) 

We ask that DOE and FERC endorse the concept and provide a much-needed early spark by formally recognizing that CRE utilities are not part of the bulk electric system and are not subject to the burdensome regulations that accompany it.

[![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) 
This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/). 

##### Featuring 

[![Travis Fisher - cropped](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2023-09/travis-fisher-cropped.jpg?itok=wFuUAHy-)](/people/travis-fisher) 

##### [Travis Fisher](/people/travis-fisher)

Director of Energy and Environmental Policy Studies, Cato Institute

[ 

](https://x.com/ts_fisher) 

![Lyons, Glen_color](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2026-01/Lyons%2C%20Glen_color.jpeg?itok=VlWTsoAs) 

##### Glen Lyons 

Founder, Advocates for Consumer Regulated Electricity