Trade groups representing big tech companies including Apple clashed with independent repair shop owners in Monday committee hearing in the Nevada Legislature over a proposal to require hardware manufacturers give repair shops the means to fix devices like computers, phones, tablets and printers, reports the AP News.
These “Right to Repair” bills, which are under consideration in 25 statehouses, are loosely based on a Massachusetts ballot initiative that voters approved last year to make car parts and plans available to repair shops. Such bills means manufacturers such as Apple will have to sell replacement parts to independent repair shops and consumers and will also have to make their diagnostic and service manuals public.
Nevada’s bill would apply to consumer electronics worth less than $5,000 wholesale and exempt equipment used for gambling. The AP News says that lawmakers in Nebraska have tailored repair legislation to agricultural equipment and farmers while California is considering requiring medical equipment manufacturers make available information on how to repair devices like ventilators. TechNet, a trade group that lobbies for Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Honeywell and other device manufacturers, “has mounted vigorous opposition” to the repair bills in state legislatures, the article notes.
To deal with the “Right of Repair” initiatives, in 2019 Apple launched its Independent Repair Provider program, which expanded this week to more than 200 countries. Launched originally in 2019 and expanded to Europe and Canada last year, the program enables repair providers of all sizes access to genuine Apple parts, tools, repair manuals, and diagnostics to offer safe and reliable repairs for Apple products.
Apple says that All participating repair providers in the program have access to free training from Apple and the same genuine parts, tools, repair manuals, and diagnostics as Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs) and Apple Store locations. To verify that a company participates in the program, visit support.apple.com/repair/verify-repair-provider.
