Despite the best efforts of automakers and companies like Apple, states continue to push forward with popular “right to repair” reforms that make it easier and more affordable for consumers to repair tech they own.
While they vary in potency, New York, Oregon, California, Massachusetts, Colorado, Maine, and Minnesota have all now passed some flavor of right to repair reforms. Colorado just got done passing its third such bill. The first two ensured that consumers had access to the parts, tools, and documentation they needed to repair agricultural equipment and powered wheelchairs.
This latest bill broadens the state protections considerably, ensuring that consumers have the tools, parts, and manuals to be able to repair everything from blenders and refrigerators to laptops and cell phones to appliances and IT equipment. Unsurprisingly, right to repair activists are pretty happy about it:
“Everything breaks at some point and when it does, we should have the freedom to fix it,” said Danny Katz, CoPIRG executive director. “Right to Repair gives us options when our products fail. This bill empowers consumers, letting us choose when, where, and how we fix our products. And having options saves us time and money while reducing the amount of waste that we produce.”
Again, the quality of state right to repair legislation can vary greatly. Many state bills intentionally carve out many of the worst offenders when it comes to efforts to monopolize repair (game consoles, cell phones, medical equipment, agricultural gear, cars). New York state’s bill was watered down post-passage by Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul almost to the point of uselessness.
But while numerous companies (like Apple) keep trying to claim that these reforms pose significant new privacy or security threats to consumers, they’re not having much luck. While U.S. consumer protection is generally on the ropes, right to repair reform efforts aren’t slowing down, and continue to see widespread, bipartisan support from annoyed American consumers.
