Albany lawmakers have approved first-in-the-nation legislation that aims to make it much easier and cheaper to repair consumer electronics like smartphones without paying top dollar at a manufacturer-authorized service center like Apple Stores.
“So many of us have stacks of iPads or laptops or desktops in our basement because they’re not worth fixing because of the planned obsolescence so this really breaks the monopoly. It encourages more repair at much more competitive costs,” Assemblywoman Pat Fahy (D-Albany) said of the bill she sponsored with state Sen. Neil Breslin (D-Albany).
The legislation would require manufacturers like Apple, Samsung and Microsoft “to make diagnostic and repair information for digital electronic parts and equipment available to independent repair providers and consumers,” according to a legislative memo.
Passage of the bill follows years of effort by Fahy and others, who faced an intense lobbying campaign against the bill before it passed with bipartisan support in the final week of the scheduled 2022 legislative session.
Consumers will still be subject to manufacturer warranties, which could be voided by the use of third-party service providers.
Passage in the Empire State could open the way for other states to enact similar laws – assuming Governor Kathy Hochul signs the bill into law in the upcoming months.
“It’s breaking the dam on their ability to fight this now,” Fahy said of electronics manufacturers opposed to expanding who has access to the know-how and parts to repair devices.