Red, Blue and Purple: Right To Repair Movement Gains Steam Across The U.S.
Wisconsin became the 50th state legislature to introduce right to repair legislation, as repair bills crop up in red, blue and purple states. Also: a hack brings the Humane AI pin back to life.
There’s been a lot of political change in the New Year, but one thing is holding steady: the grassroots, political momentum behind efforts across the U.S. to secure the right to to repair our stuff.
Contents:
+ Hack brings bricked Humane AI pin back to life
+ Wired: Framework reimagines the budget laptop
+ U.S. Senator: Digital vendors need to come clean on licensing
+ Mechanic and TikToker warns of repair lockout
+ The latest addition to the e-waste stream? Discarded robots
+ Why your refurbished iPhone might be better than a new oneWisconsin fills in the (repair) map
The evidence for that is everywhere. Wisconsin became the 50th U.S. state to see right to repair legislation introduced in its state legislature in late February, after Wisconsin state Senators Sarah Keyeski and Brad Pfaff introduced a bill seeking a legal right for farmers to repair their agricultural equipment. The bill was filed shortly after Wisconsin’s attorney general added the state to the list of plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against John Deere that was filed in 2024 by the FTC, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota and Arizona alleging the company illegally restricts the access of owners and independent repair shop owners to maintain and repair its equipment.
Wisconsin is notable because the state was a longtime hold-out: its legislature refraining from introducing right to repair legislation even as the grassroots movement for a right to repair our stuff notched victories, including an agricultural right to repair bill becoming law in Colorado while neighboring Minnesota joined four other states in passing comprehensive electronics right to repair bills.
“Our legislative map no longer has any blanks… This proves that Right to Repair is needed everywhere—and we are well on our way towards making that happen.” -Gay Gordon-Byrne, Executive Director at Repair.org.
26 states introduce R2R laws
But its hardly alone. More than half of all state legislatures (26) have introduced one or more right to repair bills so far this year. That list includes states like Illinois, where five, separate right to repair bills have been introduced covering everything from farm equipment to home and business electronics and appliances to powered wheelchairs.
That list spans the political spectrum, with states as politically and geographically varied as Hawaii, Texas, Maryland, Iowa and West Virginia all putting forward right to repair laws for consideration.
In Oregon, the state senate overwhelmingly passed a right to repair bill covering power wheelchairs, sending it to Oregon’s legislature for consideration. Wheelchair repair bills like the one passed in Colorado in 2022 have also been introduced in Montana, Florida, Maryland, New York, Rhode Island and Washington State.
States considering agricultural right to repair bills, in addition to Wisconsin, include Montana, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Minnesota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia.
And the proposed state laws are more varied. In addition to bills covering personal electronics, wheelchairs and agricultural equipment are bills granting or expanding the right to fix automobiles (Maine, Kansas, Maryland and Hawaii). There are also proposals in three states, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania, addressing product labeling and repair scores that inform consumers prior to purchasing a device.
Federal laws proposed for cars, military gear
And while federal lawmakers have mostly sat on the sidelines for the last 13 years as states took the lead in passing right to repair laws, that may be ending. Recent weeks have seen right to repair bills proposed in both the U.S. House and Senate. On February 25th, U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) and Rep. Neal Dunn (FL-02) introduced a bipartisan REPAIR Act in the U.S. House - legislation that would give vehicle owners access to the data needed to conduct auto repairs, while affirming that vehicle data belongs to the vehicle’s owner, not the manufacturer.
“Americans are tired of lip service about lowering prices or respecting the trades. We want to be able to fix our own stuff… But auto manufacturers have made it increasingly difficult to exercise real agency,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez in a statement. “It’s time for Congress to listen to ordinary Americans and pass right to repair legislation.”
Over in the U.S. Senate, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in December unveiled the Servicemember Right-to-Repair Act, a proposed law to ensure that the U.S. military has access to the tools and materials needed to maintain the equipment it has purchased. The bill directs the Pentagon to use those tools to reduce sustainment costs, improve military readiness, and build servicemember skills needed in possible future austere environments. At a recent hearing, an Army Secretary nominee expressed agreement with Senator Warren’s recommendations on right-to-repair cost-cutting measures, highlighting a growing, bipartisan consensus around expanding repair rights and reducing excessive expenses for consumers.
Right to repair advocates say the continued momentum behind right to repair laws - irrespective of massive shifts in the political landscape since November - are a sign that the fight to fix our stuff transcends conventional political divisions.
“People are fed up with disposable products and locked-down devices. Repair is the future, and this moment proves it.” -Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit.
Other Repair News
Hack brings bricked Humane AI pin back to life
Humane, the maker of the (notorious) artificial intelligence (AI) powered pin, caught flack after the company announced it would cease support of the $700 dollar device following the company’s acquisition by HP. Humane’s decision to cut off software support rendered the AI pin useless. But AI pin owners may not be done. That’s because a community of AI pin owners and hackers moved quickly: standing up the 'reHumane' Discord server to coordinate efforts to gain access to the device software and revive the gadget after Humane’s servers were shut down. They uncovered hidden connectors for wired connections and utilized leaked codes to bypass encryption, restoring functionality and extending the Ai Pin's utility as a screenless smartphone alternative.
The group, who largely remain anonymous were also helped by an unnamed Humane employee who leaked an internal certificate needed to gain access to the Pin’s firmware. The grassroots effort reflects other recent initiatives, such as the efforts by owners of the Moxie emotional support robot, to keep smart, connected devices working after their maker has abandoned them - thereby maximizing the device's potential and even improving the performance and capabilities of the device. Read more at Wired.
Wired: Framework reimagines the budget laptop
Wired’s Luke Larsen examines the innovative Framework Laptop 12, a modular device designed to challenge the traditional norms of consumer electronics. While budget laptops are nothing new, the Laptop 12’s user-friendly design, which allows for easy repairs, upgrades, and customization is a radical shift from the ‘Bic Lighter’ approach that other laptop makers have taken to their low cost models. Rather than a low quality, disposable device, Framework has emphasized sustainability, with a modular architecture that extends the laptop’s lifespan and reduces electronic waste. Such innovations could disrupt established manufacturer practices and influence broader industry trends, Larsen argues. Framework’s new Laptop reflects a growing demand for repairability and consumer autonomy in an era dominated by planned obsolescence. Read more at Wired.
U.S. Senator: Digital vendors need to come clean on licensing restrictions
The Verge reports that U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) arguing that consumers purchasing digital media should be fully informed about what they are acquiring. In the letter, Wyden argues that digital products often come with hidden limitations and undisclosed conditions as part of license agreements that affect usability and long-term value. Purchasers of physical books, for example, are free to sell, gift or transfer their book to someone else, and know they can access it in perpetuity. “But a consumer who “purchases” the same title as an e-book is usually obtaining a license, subject to certain limitations by the seller,” Wyden wrote. The senator calls for guidance to “ensure that consumers who purchase or license digital goods can make informed decisions and understand what ownership rights they are obtaining.” Read more at The Verge.
Mechanic and TikToker warns of repair lockout
A popular TikTok user and mechanic behind Shorty’s Speed Shop (@shortysspeedshop), racked up more than 300,000 views of a video in which he describes the hurdles and barriers that modern cars erect to keep independent mechanics from being able to work on them. “Well, it’s finally happened. 2024 RAM 3500 —access denied,” Shorty says into the camera while pointing to a diagnostic computer screen displaying an “access denied” message.
