New Legislation Will Make It Easier To Open And Repair IPhones
Lawmakers in Nebraska, Minnesota, New York, Massachusetts and Kansas have introduced a “Right to Repair” legislation that aims to make it easier for individuals and indie repair shops to open and repair electronic devices, including the iPhone (via Motherboard). The law would require manufacturers to sell individual parts to individuals and indie repair shops, and force them to make repair and diagnostic manuals public.
The bill is aimed towards creating an “authorized repair” model that’s more similar to the car repair industry. In fact, the legislation is modeled after the Motor Vehicle Owner’s Right to Repair Act, which was passed in Massachusetts in 2012. The law effectively became national as car makers didn’t want to deal with legislation in each individual state.
The legislators in New York say that authorized repair shops will result in “high repair prices and high overturn of electronic items.” Also, most repair shops get their parts from Chinese grey markets or from recycled parts in order to stay competitive. This results in raids from the Department of Homeland Security as these independent shops are unknowingly using counterfeit parts.
More information regarding the legislation can be found at Repair.org.