Apple Pledges Support for Nationwide Right-to-Repair Bill

pcmag.com:

Apple is renowned for making its devices hard to repair, but yesterday the company pledged its support for a US right-to-repair law.

As Reuters reports, the pledge was made during an event at the White House by the Biden administration where Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan explained that restricting who could repair devices raises costs, stifles innovation, increases electronic waste, and limits the opportunities for independent repair shops.

In response, Apple confirmed it would be willing to make parts, tools, and documentation available to repair shops and consumers nationwide. Apple already pledged its support for California's Right to Repair Act back in August, but is now willing to back a national law. California also requires Apple to supply diagnostic tools, which the company also confirmed it would supply nationwide.

During the event, Brian Naumann, Apple's vice president for service and operations, said, "We intend to honor California's new repair provisions across the United States ... Apple also believes that consumers and businesses would benefit from a national law that balances repairability with product integrity, usability, and physical safety."

Following Naumann's comments, Lael Brainard, National Economic Council Director urged Congress to pass national right-to-repair legislation as it could save American consumers $49.6 billion annually and stop 7 million tons of e-waste every year.

The repairability problem extends well beyond smartphones, tablets, and personal computers, however. Khan pointed out that, "We've heard from health care workers and hospitals worried that they would be unable to fix a ventilator because the manufacturer was seeking to deny access to repair it."

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