Summary: Congressman Joe Morelle introduced the Fair Repair Act, aiming to guarantee the right to repair products by requiring manufacturers to provide diagnostic and repair information, parts, and tools. The bill excludes medical device manufacturers and promises significant cost savings for consumers.
Key Takeaways:
- Right to Repair: The Fair Repair Act requires manufacturers to provide necessary repair resources to consumers and third-party repairers.
- Exclusions: The bill specifically excludes medical device manufacturers from its provisions.
Congressman Joe Morelle (D-NY) has introduced the Fair Repair Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, legislation that would guarantee consumers and small businesses a right to repair their own products by requiring manufacturers to make diagnostic repair information, parts, and tools readily available.
Exclusion of Medical Devices
As it currently stands, the language of the bill specifies that medical device manufacturers would be excluded from the bill should it become law.
Ensuring Timely Repairs
The Fair Repair Act will require OEMs to make diagnostic and repair information, parts, and tools available to third-party repairers and owners in a timely manner and on fair and reasonable terms, helping consumers and repair shops to avoid unnecessary and costly delays while also reducing waste.
Potential Savings for Households
Research by U.S. PIRG suggests enactment of the Fair Repair Act could reduce household spending on electronics by 22%, leading to a savings of around $330 per year for each family and approximately $40 billion of total savings nationally per year.
“Large corporations have continually hindered the progress of small business owners and everyday Americans by preventing them from the right to repair their own equipment. It’s time to level the playing field,” said Morelle. “I’m proud to introduce the Fair Repair Act alongside Senator Luján to put the power back where it belongs: in the hands of consumers. This common-sense legislation will help make technology repairs more accessible and affordable for items like cell phones, laptops, and more, finally giving individuals the autonomy they deserve.”
Follow the money.
Seriously, follow the money.
And report on it. Make it visible. Make clear what this means for healthcare costs. All healthcare costs.
The business case by for CE/HTM is more broad than simply repairing devices less expensively, although that is a key component of the the value of the service. But also, and arguably more importantly, CE/HTM services minimize downtime, which in turn helps the revenue side for providers.
The belief that technology manufacturers possess magical powers that somehow make their staff necessarily more competent than other other educated and trained staff is ridiculous, but the belief is widespread outside the engineering and technical realms. Manufacturers essentially sell fear: “Unless we provide lifetime support of the device, you are at risk for failures that harm patients and/or cost lost revenue.” CE/HTM has been around for well over 50 years now (I was around for over 40 of them; it’s nothing new). If the field doesn’t have the data by now to destroy those claims, it never will.
Fight back.