The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has unanimously decided in a vote to counter existing restrictions on the repair of devices with legal provisions.
This is called the “right to repair”, because the buyer and the actual owner of the device has the right to have it repaired somewhere and must also be provided with the corresponding spare parts – as with a car.
These types of restrictions can significantly raise costs for consumers, stifle innovation, close off business opportunity for independent repair stores, create unnecessary electronic waste, delay timely repairs, and undermine resiliency.
FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan points out that existing restrictions, like Apple’s, increase costs for consumers and lead to more electronic waste.
As it stands, the social and even legislative zeitgeist is moving toward a world where devices should be easier to repair. This may give us a wider choice of repair shops that can repair devices in the future.
