Five states are considering ‘Right to Repair’ bills that would affect Apple

Lawmakers in five states — Nebraska, Minnesota, New York, Massachusetts, and Kansas — have introduced legislation that would enshrine the “Right to Repair” electronics, which 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, reports MotherBoard.

“Limited authorized channels result in inflated, high repair prices and high overturn of electronic items,” the legislators who introduced the New York bill wrote. “Another concern is the large amount of electronic waste created by the inability to affordably repair broken electronics.”

Apple has never authorized an independent company to repair iPhones, though it has for Macs. Still, hundreds of companies do repair iPhones, but many of them have to salvage parts from recycled devices or get them on the Chinese grey market, notes MotherBoard.