Hey, big Apple, how’d you like them Big Apples?
Right-to-repair advocates are applauding the passage of New York’s Digital Fair Repair Act, which state assembly members approved Friday in a 145–1 vote. The law bill, previously green-lit by the state senate in a 49-14 vote, now awaits the expected signature of New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D). Assuming the New York bill becomes law as anticipated, it will be the first US state legislation to address the repairability of electronic devices. A week ago, a similar right-to-repair bill died in California due to industry lobbying. The pending New York rules require original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) “to make available, for purposes of diagnosis, maintenance, or repair, to any independent repair provider, or to the owner of digital electronic equipment manufactured by or on behalf of, or sold by, the OEM, on fair and reasonable terms, documentation, parts, and tools, inclusive of any updates to information.”
That is, digital product manufacturers will have to provide independent repair services and consumers with the documentation and parts to fix their products, which benefits the environment by creating less waste and prevents equipment makers from capturing all repair revenue through authorized repair programs.
