The Week in Repair: Feb 1-8
Federal legislation filed to address repair restrictions for vehicles, farm equipment and electronics. Also: a court fight over auto repair turns ugly in Massachusetts.
Here are the most important right to repair stories for the past week - February 1-8th!
US lawmakers introduce ‘Right to Repair’ bills to spur competition
U.S. lawmakers are introducing "Right to Repair" legislation this week to ensure consumers can get vehicles, electronic devices and agriculture equipment serviced by independent outlets.Representative Bobby Rush, a Democrat, said Thursday he had introduced legislation to ensure vehicle owners and independent repair shops have equal access to repair and maintenance tools as automakers' dealerships. Representatives Mondaire Jones, a Democrat, and Republican Victoria Spartz introduced separate legislation Wednesday dubbed the Freedom to Repair Act to reform copyright law to make it easier for consumers to get repairs. (reuters.com)
Also read:
Right to Repair legislation could finally fix farmers’ frustration (Agdaily.com)
It’s Time for Congress to Ensure the Right to Repair. Here’s How. (Publicknowledge.org)
Congress suddenly cares about the right to repair (finally!) (Vice.com)
Rep. Spartz Introduces Freedom to Repair Act (readthereporter.com)
A Fight Over the Right to Repair Cars Turns Ugly
In the wake of a voter-approved law, Subaru and Kia dealers in Massachusetts have disabled systems that allow remote starts and send maintenance alerts.
These days, much of the data is transmitted wirelessly. So independent mechanics and right-to-repair proponents worry that automakers will stop sending vital repair information to the diagnostic ports. That would hamper the independents and lock customers into relationships with dealerships. Independent mechanics fear that automakers could potentially “block what they want” when an independent repairer tries to access a car’s technified guts, Glenn Wilder, the owner of an auto and tire repair shop in Scituate, Massachusetts, told lawmakers in 2020. (wired.com)
Also read:
'Irritated' Judge Nearing Verdict On Mass. Car Data Law (Law360)
Federal Bill Could Fix Faltering Auto Right to Repair
Americans’ ability to service and repair their vehicles hinges on a 10 year-old Massachusetts law. But with automakers turning against it, the federal REPAIR ACT is needed now more than ever. (fighttorepair.substack.com)
Also read:
House bill looks to federalize automotive right to repair (Collisionweek.com)
On auto repair: as goes Massachusetts so goes the nation? (Seyfarth.com)
Automakers can’t give up on turning features into subscription services
In 2019, BMW had to abandon a plan to charge $80 per year for Apple CarPlay. The company, having learned nothing, began floating the idea of charging a subscription for features back in 2020, when it proposed making heated seats and heated steering wheels something you pay a permanent monthly fee for. Last December, Toyota proposed imposing a monthly fee for customers who wanted to be able to remotely start their vehicles.
Each and every time these proposals come forward the consumer response is swift and overwhelmingly negative. But with $20 billion in annual additional potential revenue on the table between now and 2030, the industry seems poised to ignore consumers. (techdirt.com)
Also read:
Right to repair: High tech drives new push (autonews.com)
Scientists are building an AI powered robot to take apart your old phone
In 2016, Apple announced that it had developed a recycling robot, called Liam, that could deconstruct an iPhone in 11 seconds. Six years and several machine generations later, Apple still won’t disclose how many iPhones its robots have recycled for parts. Fortunately, a new research project that seeks to develop AI-powered tools that allow a robotic recycler to harvest parts from many different models of phones. If such technology can be commercialized, researchers are hopeful it could vastly improve the recycling of smartphones and other small, portable electronics. (theverge.com)
Washington right to repair bill headed to House floor
HB 1810, sponsored by Representative Mia Gregerson (D‑33rd District: South King County), has been placed on second reading in the House of Representatives and could run on the floor whenever leadership decides the time is ripe.
The bill requires companies that make electronics to either make documentation, parts, and tools available to owners and independent repair shops on “fair and reasonable terms,” or else provide training to allow businesses based in Washington to become manufacturer certified to carry out repairs. 69% of Washington voters surveyed on NPI’s behalf last November said they supported right to repair legislation, while only 13% were opposed. We unveiled our poll finding at HB 1810’s public hearing last month. If HB 1810 gets a floor vote in the House before next Tuesday at 5 PM, it would be sent over the Senate for further consideration. (nwprogressive.org)
FTC ruling in NVIDIA-ARM deal shows new thinking on anti-trust
“This is an important outcome for Lina Khan and the FTC. In a bipartisan 4-0 vote, enforcers challenged and blocked a bad deal, while also changing antitrust enforcement,” said Matt Stoller, Research Director at the American Economic Liberties Project. “Typically antitrust enforcers are skeptical when firms buy direct rivals, but are tolerant of what are called ‘vertical’ mergers, where a firm buys a supplier or customer. In this case, the FTC — in a unanimous vote — challenged and blocked a vertical merger.” (economicliberties.us)
Also read:
Openmarkets celebrates landslide vote for Open App Markets Act in Senate (publicknowledge.org)
How we live: Consumers should have the right to repair
Here is the economic calculation: cheap stuff plus expensive labour equals a disposable culture. Take the flimsy mid-priced Singer sewing machine I bought a decade ago for its myriad stitching options. I had it repaired several times but it never worked properly. Compare that to the hefty Singer in a wooden case that I inherited from my mother-in-law. It cost a small fortune when she bought it in the late 1950s, but guess which machine wound up in the dumpster and which one stitches on?
Technological change is staggeringly fast. We don’t want the glacially slow Apple desktop or the deceased BlackBerry. We want the latest and greatest. But wouldn’t it be fantastic to be able to swap out those wafer-thin chips in your laptop for upgraded ones? To fix those fantastically expensive AirPods? Or to replace just the circuit board instead of the entire washing machine? (calgaryherald.com)
The Big Tech Monopoly Down on the Farm
One of the more successful Biden administration initiatives has involved the right-to-repair movement. The president made it a priority in last July’s executive order on competition, directing the Federal Trade Commission to write regulations preventing companies from blocking customers from repairing their own equipment. That same month, in a unanimous 5-0 vote, the FTC approved a policy statement that classified repair restrictions as violations of antitrust and consumer protection laws, and vowed to enforce that new policy.
The policy statement was quicker than a laborious rulemaking process, and it bore fruit. But one major manufacturer has not budged. John Deere, the 180-year-old maker of tractors and other agricultural equipment, still requires proprietary software and tools to complete any repair, forcing farmers to use its authorized dealers and technicians. Since the federal crackdown, the corporation (which is formally known as Deere & Co.) has resisted shareholder proposals, fought legislation at the state and federal level, and is currently embroiled in several antitrust lawsuits with customers. (prospect.org)
Also read:
Study Shows Farmers Want to Fix Their Own Tractors (USPIRG.org)
Google has a new Chromebook repair program for education
Google has launched a new repair program aimed at education to help admins identify which Chromebooks can be repaired. Chromebooks might be a cheap option for schools to roll out and manage, but not all of them are easy to repair. Thanks in no small part to education, Chromebook sales also jumped massively due to the move to remote learning as a result of the pandemic.
Google has launched the Chromebook repair program. It's starting in the US and for now includes Acer and Lenovo and is aimed at IT admins who can fix devices and components as the need arises. While Chromebook repairs are covered under vendors' warranties, Google admits "it's been challenging for school IT administrators to find information about which devices they can repair." (zdnet.com)
Ovens, dishwashers and washing machines are breaking down like never before. But there’s nobody to fix them
As a sales manager for the plumbing, heating and appliance supplier Ferguson Enterprises, Phillip Carr witnessed escalating demand for appliance repair early in the pandemic. He sold to builders, so he had already seen how fragile the global supply chain has become. Then the machines — and the parts that compose them — became scarce because of trade disputes with China and Germany, shuttered factories and manufacturers converting to make protective equipment. He decided to go over to the other side — where the jobs were.
“It used to be if an appliance got damaged but was still workable, the customers would return it to get a new one. They don’t do that now because there’s no new ones to get,” Carr said. “So that’s added to the amount of repairs that need to be done and backing up repair people as well. Because if it’s working, people are going to have to keep it.” (washingtonpost.com)
Also read:
Appliance repair program looks to address shortage of repair techs (dublingazette.com)
‘Right to repair’ campaign forces rethink by Big Tech
A decade ago, it was taken for granted in Silicon Valley that consumers would always embrace the most up-to-date versions of digital devices. They would buy upgraded gadgets when their current ones malfunctioned or wore out. It remains to be seen how many consumers will fall in with the upgrade culture — fixing an old iPhone or digital watch is no simple matter, even when parts are available This upgrade culture was so ingrained in western consumer society that tech companies tended to design products on the assumption that they would quickly become obsolete. They used overt and covert strategies to prompt consumers to keep churning their devices.
But, now, a host of initiatives is under way to try to change consumer and corporate behavior. University College London’s Big Repair Project is a case in point. It has been carrying out surveys of the British public about their attitude towards their consumer electronics. As its website explains, the aim of the project is to “understand the factors affecting household maintenance and repair (carried out yourself or using professional services) of home appliances and electronics across the UK”. (ft.com)
Video: Miriam Nielsen (@Zentouro) on Right to Repair
Miriam breaks down the right to repair issue in this informative video, which includes interviews with Kyle Wiens of iFixit and Nathan Proctor of US PIRG.
Devil’s in the details as right to repair movement grows
Based on the Twitter replies to President Biden’s statement, I would estimate that about half the responders really don’t understand what the right to repair is. Many said they don’t have the time or skills to repair broken devices, for example. But that’s not what it’s about. Rather, it’s meant to allow users to repair their devices themselves, if possible, and get third parties to repair them if it’s not. Essentially, companies can’t create products that are nearly impossible to fix (leading to replacement purchases being made earlier than necessary) or limit the information needed for repairs. (stacyoniot.com)
Framework looks to expand repairability beyond laptop
Founded in late-2019 by former Apple and Oculus/Facebook engineer Nirav Patel, Framework is among those burgeoning hardware startups focused on placing repairability as a key feature in product design. Today, the company announced an $18 million Series A, which it’s touting as a vindication of that mission. (techcrunch.com)
Farm Action: Agricultural Right to Repair Act will boost rural economies
Sen. Jon Tester, D-MT, announced the Agricultural Right to Repair Act. Farm Action applauds the Senator for filing this legislation, which restores innovation, flexibility, and economic opportunity to farmers and rural communities.
By restricting access to basic diagnostic tools and limiting farm equipment repair to authorized dealers, corporate farm equipment manufacturers have taken away farmers’ consumer rights. This situation burdens farmers with long equipment transports and wait-times for repairs, resulting in losses of tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential yields. This has also harmed rural economies via the collapse of the small business mechanics and repair shops, which are not permitted access to the tools they need to fix their neighbors’ equipment. (postregister.com)
Also read:
The right to repair is now an issue in agriculture (Techhq.com)
Missouri farmers support right to repair (kmbc.com)
Other Repair News...
Opinion: Australia’s latest export is bad media policy, and it’s spreading fast (niemanlab.org)
A new competitor to AppleCare offers cheaper insurance for smartphones (engadget.com)
Policies to (finally) enable the circular economy (circularonline.co.uk)
A collection of amazing repair organizations around the world (iFixit.com)
PIRG hosts webinar with MythBusters' Adam Savage on Right to Repair (uspirg.org)
Digital transformation done right (fastcompany.com)
STEAM deck teardown (ifixit.com)
Sign up for Fight to Repair Weekly! (Fight to Repair)