This measure would require manufacturers to provide parts and know-how for repairs. Is this overly burdensome for businesses or simple consumer protection?
news.bgov.com
By Zach Williams
(Bloomberg Government) -- Nearly a third of US consumers
would have the right to repair digital devices like smartphones
themselves or from a third party if Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs
pending legislation in his 31-million-person state.
The measure (H.B. 2963) would require manufacturers of
consumer electronics to provide parts and know-how to consumers
or independent shops for repairs. Abbott has until June 22 to
decide whether to become the first Republican governor to sign
such legislation. His spokesperson didn’t say what action he
would take.
In the absence of a federal law, right-to-repair advocates
have focused on expanding individual rights to create a
bipartisan consensus across states despite resistance from
manufacturers, which contend the bills increase their costs and
jeopardize intellectual property.
Adoption by Texas would “really expand the universe of
right-to-repair” laws, according to Nathan Proctor, who
advocates on the issue for the Public Interest Research Group, a
Washington, DC-based advocacy group.
New York, Colorado, Minnesota, California, Oregon, Maine,
and Washington — where Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) signed legislation
(H.B. 1483) May 19 — have existing laws. Connecticut Gov. Ned
Lamont (D) will soon sign a right-to-repair measure (S.B. 3),
said Julia Bergman, a spokesperson, in an email.
The measures are unequal in how they enable repairs,
however, with legislators in Texas, Connecticut, and Washington
exempting different products. Proponents said more work will be
needed next year to close such gaps.
“The bills are still not where they need to be,” Gay
Gordon-Byrne, executive director of the Repair Association, a
coalition of consumer advocates and repair businesses that
advocate for right-to-repair laws, said in an interview.
Varying Rights to Repair
New York in 2022 became the first state to approve a right-
to-repair for electronics, but the law didn’t ban “parts
pairing,” a procedure that allows manufacturers such asApple
Inc. to use software to hinder new parts being used by
recognizing only specific serial numbers. An expansion of the
New York law appear unlikely in the session that ends June 17.
Oregon last year became the first state to ban the
practice. Colorado later followed with such language in the
broadest right-to-repair protections nationwide in its law,
according to analysts. Washington prohibited the procedure in
its law, which takes effect July 27.
“This bill empowers everyday Washingtonians and small
businesses while reducing waste,” state Rep. Mia Gregerson (D-
Wash.) who introduced the bill, said in statement. “People
deserve the right to fix their own devices without roadblocks.”
The measures awaiting gubernatorial approval in Texas and
Connecticut don’t address parts pairing. The Texas bill also
doesn’t cover home appliances such as toasters, dishwashers, and
ovens.
If approved, the Connecticut legislation would take effect
on July 1, 2026, while the Texas measure would take effect on
Sept. 1, 2026.
Industry groups such as the Consumer Technology Association
contend state right-to-repair laws might undermine the bottom
line of their members by increasing their compliance costs.
Apple Inc., John Deere—a top opponents of right-to-repair
measures affecting farm equipment—and Amazon.com Inc. are among
its members.
“CTA is very concerned about a patchwork of varying repair
requirements emerging across the United States,” Katie Reilly, a
vice president of the association, said in March testimony
before Connecticut lawmakers. “Enactment of varying state repair
laws with different requirements and definitions subject to
differing interpretations by state courts and regulators is a
major concern for our industry.”
Right-to-Repair Would See Texas-Sized Jump if Abbott Signs Bill
The measure (H.B. 2963) would require manufacturers of consumer electronics to provide parts and know-how to consumers or independent shops for repairs.
By Zach Williams
(Bloomberg Government) -- Nearly a third of US consumers
would have the right to repair digital devices like smartphones
themselves or from a third party if Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs
pending legislation in his 31-million-person state.
The measure (H.B. 2963) would require manufacturers of
consumer electronics to provide parts and know-how to consumers
or independent shops for repairs. Abbott has until June 22 to
decide whether to become the first Republican governor to sign
such legislation. His spokesperson didn’t say what action he
would take.
In the absence of a federal law, right-to-repair advocates
have focused on expanding individual rights to create a
bipartisan consensus across states despite resistance from
manufacturers, which contend the bills increase their costs and
jeopardize intellectual property.
Adoption by Texas would “really expand the universe of
right-to-repair” laws, according to Nathan Proctor, who
advocates on the issue for the Public Interest Research Group, a
Washington, DC-based advocacy group.
New York, Colorado, Minnesota, California, Oregon, Maine,
and Washington — where Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) signed legislation
(H.B. 1483) May 19 — have existing laws. Connecticut Gov. Ned
Lamont (D) will soon sign a right-to-repair measure (S.B. 3),
said Julia Bergman, a spokesperson, in an email.
The measures are unequal in how they enable repairs,
however, with legislators in Texas, Connecticut, and Washington
exempting different products. Proponents said more work will be
needed next year to close such gaps.
“The bills are still not where they need to be,” Gay
Gordon-Byrne, executive director of the Repair Association, a
coalition of consumer advocates and repair businesses that
advocate for right-to-repair laws, said in an interview.
Varying Rights to Repair
New York in 2022 became the first state to approve a right-
to-repair for electronics, but the law didn’t ban “parts
pairing,” a procedure that allows manufacturers such asApple
Inc. to use software to hinder new parts being used by
recognizing only specific serial numbers. An expansion of the
New York law appear unlikely in the session that ends June 17.
Oregon last year became the first state to ban the
practice. Colorado later followed with such language in the
broadest right-to-repair protections nationwide in its law,
according to analysts. Washington prohibited the procedure in
its law, which takes effect July 27.
“This bill empowers everyday Washingtonians and small
businesses while reducing waste,” state Rep. Mia Gregerson (D-
Wash.) who introduced the bill, said in statement. “People
deserve the right to fix their own devices without roadblocks.”
The measures awaiting gubernatorial approval in Texas and
Connecticut don’t address parts pairing. The Texas bill also
doesn’t cover home appliances such as toasters, dishwashers, and
ovens.
If approved, the Connecticut legislation would take effect
on July 1, 2026, while the Texas measure would take effect on
Sept. 1, 2026.
Industry groups such as the Consumer Technology Association
contend state right-to-repair laws might undermine the bottom
line of their members by increasing their compliance costs.
Apple Inc., John Deere—a top opponents of right-to-repair
measures affecting farm equipment—and Amazon.com Inc. are among
its members.
“CTA is very concerned about a patchwork of varying repair
requirements emerging across the United States,” Katie Reilly, a
vice president of the association, said in March testimony
before Connecticut lawmakers. “Enactment of varying state repair
laws with different requirements and definitions subject to
differing interpretations by state courts and regulators is a
major concern for our industry.”
