As individual US states review passing “Right to Repair” laws, one congressman is introducing a federal bill to do the same, but nationwide.
On Thursday, US Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) announced the Fair Repair Act, which seeks to make it easier for consumers to fix their broken electronics, without having to pay a costly sum to the original manufacturers.
The bill proposes doing this by requiring tech companies to make product repair information, replacement parts, and tools readily available to consumers and third-party repair shops.
“This common-sense legislation will help make technology repairs more accessible and affordable for items from cell phones to laptops to farm equipment, finally giving individuals the autonomy they deserve,” Morelle said in a statement.
The Fair Repair Act is designed to address how smartphones and laptops can sometimes be impossible for third-party repair experts to fix, due to technology restrictions on the products. To fix them, you’ll have to go through the company’s official repair channels, which can be expensive.
Companies including Apple have argued the repair restrictions are meant to prevent intellectual property theft and ensure customer safety. However, Morelle said the COVID-19 pandemic only “magnified the need for consumers and small businesses to be self-reliant and have the ability to repair their own equipment when large retailers have to shutter.”
The text of the Fair Repair Act has yet to be released, making it unclear which products are covered. But the legislation arrives a month after the US Federal Trade Commission also called out tech companies for imposing onerous repair restrictions on their devices.
“There is scant evidence to support manufacturers’ justifications for repair restrictions,” the FTC wrote in the 56-page report it sent to Congress last month.
To enforce the proposed law, Morelle’s bill calls for empowering the FTC to penalize companies found violating Right to Repair regulations. Penalties could include forcing the companies to pay damages or offer refunds to affected customers.
Repair website iFixit calls Morelle’s legislation the “first broad federal Right to Repair bill.” But we’ll have to wait and see if other lawmakers support it.