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During an opening At the committee’s meeting on Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission unanimously voted to enforce right-to-repair laws, ensuring that American consumers will be able to repair their own electronics and automobiles.
The FTC’s approval of the rules is not a surprising result; the issue of the right to repair has been remarkably bipartisan, and the FTC itself issued a lengthy report in May that lambasted manufacturers for limiting repairs. But the 5-0 vote signals the commission’s commitment to enforce both federal antitrust laws and a key consumer warranty law, the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, with respect to repairs of personal devices.
The vote, which was led by new FTC chairwoman and well-known tech critic Lina Khan, also comes 12 days after President Joe Biden signed a broad executive order to promote competition in the U.S. economy. The order catered to a wide range of industries, from banks to airlines to tech companies. But one party encouraged the FTC, which operates as an independent agency, to create new rules that would prevent companies from restricting repair options for consumers.
“When you buy an expensive product, whether it’s a half a million dollar tractor or a thousand dollar phone, you are in a very real sense under the power of the manufacturer,” says Tim. Wu, special assistant to the president. for technology and competition policy within the National Economic Council. “And when they have unreasonable repair specs, there’s not much you can do. “
Wu added that Right to Repair has become a “visceral example” of the enormous imbalance between workers, consumers, small businesses and large entities.
Steady job
The FTC vote is another victory for the Right to Repair movement in the United States, which has been led by advocacy groups like the US Public Interest Research Group, as well as private companies like iFixit, the California-based company that sells gadget repair kits and publishes repair manuals for DIY enthusiasts. Proponents of the right to repair have long argued that consumers should have access to the tools, parts, documentation and software necessary to repair the products they own, whether it is a smartphone or a smartphone. ‘a tractor.
These groups are also quick to report instances where large manufacturers block or limit independent product repair options, or force consumers to return directly to a manufacturer, who then charges extra for a fix. And it’s not just about fixing a broken glass on a smartphone or fixing an insanely small smartwatch: at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in the spring of 2020, medical device engineers began to speak out about the dangers of failing to not have access to repair tools for critical devices, such as ventilators, in times of crisis.
As more and more products are designed with internet connectivity, from smartphones to refrigerators to cars, the issue of repair rights has become increasingly complicated. Repair advocates say consumers should have access to all data collected by their personal devices, and independent repair shops should have access to the same software diagnostic tools as “authorized” stores.
“I urge the FTC to use its regulatory authority to strengthen basic consumer and private property rights, and update them for the digital age, as manufacturers seek to transform hundreds of millions of homeowners. technologies into tenants of their own property, ”said Paul Roberts, founder of Securepairs.org, during a public comment section of today’s FTC meeting. “A digital repair right is an essential tool that will extend the life of electronic devices. “
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