I’ve covered Right to Repair on the show before – noting New York passing the law at the end of the year, the recent agreement between John Deere and a lobbyist to work together, and program enhancements by Apple and Samsung to try and get ahead of the trend. Colorado also has passed a bill focused on wheelchairs.
The laws are coming now, as at least 14 states have introduced new bills so far, per Nathan Proctor, right to repair campaign director at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. He added in comments to Axios quote, “If you’re looking at what one of these companies really fears, I don’t think it’s a bill in Congress as much as 22 different bills in states that are all slightly different.”
Why do we care?
The snowball is gaining speed. Unlike privacy laws, where a patchwork of laws will impact both customers and technology companies, I’m inclined to see the inconsistency as simply a burden on the manufacturers. I’d prefer this be a consistent federal solution, but I don’t know the complexity of multiple laws falling as harshly on consultants as privacy would. We care as the move allows providers to recommend repair over replacement in more circumstances.