Saturday marked a sad and depressing end to “right-to-repair advocates as the New York State Legislature squashed the bill in a comitee before it even had the chance to reach the floor to vote when the session officially ended.
Opposed by Tech Giants such as Apple, Cisco, and Xerox, the bill would have forced companies to release electronic parts and design manuals not just to different NEW YORK IPHONE REPAIR shops but to every independent repair shops in the United States. If the bill was passed successfully, it would have been a boon to repair technicians, “right-to-repair” advocates, and users of those devices that would have been included in the bill as well.
Fair Repair Act advocates argued that if all Technology Companies give independent repair shops access to official manuals, electronic parts for devices, and technological training for devices such as the iPhone, consumers would ha more cost-efficient options to fix their phones and prolong a device’s life. Currently, the case is that repairs for a broken screen are too expensive to the point that adding a few more dollars would beget the price of a brand new unit. Seeing that this is the current norm, advocates argue that such a practice is the cause of the majority of electronic waste internationally. Passing the bill would be a major leap towards a greener environment.
Companies such as Apple, however, counter argues that by maintaining a tight control over consumer repair options, they were able to preserve the integrity of their products and in turn, provide a better costumer experience. Apple and other technological companies funded lobbying efforts against the bill.
As of date, Apple has yet to give commentary on the bill to any media sources.
“There’s no question in my mind that lobbying efforts played a role,” said New York state Sen. Phil Boyle (R), who co-sponsored the bill. “But I think that as legislators learn about the issue from their constituents in favor of this bill, even the opposition of manufacturers will be overcome. It’s a learning curve that hasn’t gotten to the top now.”
Although the bill wasn’t able to reach voting on the legislative floor, approximately 15000 letters were sent to New York legislators through the Repair Association’s website by consumers in support of the bill.
At the current situation, repairs due to accidental damage on any Apple product can cost up to 329 USD if the unit is past the one year warranty. Apple warranty does not cover liquid damage as well.
