Below are general questions about the concept of the right to repair laws that are being pushed by the Biden administration, what it means and what the government is doing to make right to repair a reality.
What is ‘right to repair?’
Right to repair gives users and third-party companies the tools, parts and manuals they need to repair a product they have purchased themselves, rather than relying on the manufacturer of the product.
What does right to repair mean for consumers?
If the government enacts the right to repair laws, whether at the state or federal level, it could give citizens the opportunity to try the repair their own devices without cancelling the warranty.
Right to repair laws could also potentially encourage more competition in repair services, which could drive down prices for third-party repairers.
What does right to repair mean for the environment?
By enabling consumers to repair and extend the life of their products, it will reduce the amount of waste and electronic waste that ends up in our landfills.
Are tech companies for or against right to repair?
In 2020, Bloomberg published a story describing the right to repair and the efforts that big technology companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have made to oppose the right to repair bills that have passed and enacted laws.
As far as safety is concerned, companies claim that an untrained person replacing a battery, for example, could pose a risk to their personal safety through accidental damage, which could lead to an explosion of the batteries.
How does the government deal with right to repair?
U.S. President Joe Biden recently signed the executive order, which, among other things, calls on the FTC to enact “rules against anti-competitive restrictions on using independent repair shops or doing DIY repairs of your own devices and equipment” as it relates to “mobile phones.”
Since 2014, a total of 32 states have pushed for the adoption of right to repair laws.
What next for right to repair?
Experts, tech giants, and consumers are waiting to see what the FTC decides to do after Biden’s decree, which merely asked the FTC to make rules rather than enact them.
For more informatio, read the original story in Cnet.