If you’ve been following the Right To Repair movement either in the States or Canada, you know that it has faced an uphill battle with pushback from politicians and the tech industry. Companies like Apple have made it harder and harder for small repair shops or individuals to gain access to the parts needed to make even the most basic of repairs without shelling out for, in my opinion, overly expensive services.
Today, however, RTR made a monumental step forward thanks to the passage of Senate Bill S4104A in the State of New York. All that’s left is for the bill to be either signed or vetoed by Kathy Hochul, the state’s governor. We spotted this fantastic news over at Ars Technica.
Bill S4104A is straightforward. It levels the playing field for all repair shops by requiring original equipment manufacturers to provide the same info that is also shared with OEM authorized repair facilities:
This bill requires original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to make diag- nostic and repair information for digital electronic parts and equipment available to independent repair providers and consumers if such parts and repair information are also available to OEM authorized repair providers.
The bill was sponsored by Neil D. Breslin, a Democrat from the 44th Senate District. The co-sponsors were fellow Democrat Senators Kevin Thomas (6th District). Alessandra Biaggi (34th District), Jabari Brisport (25th District), and Samra G. Brouk (55th District).
One of the prominent people who has been outspoken about the Right To Repair movement is Louis Rossmann, who runs a Macbook repair shop in NYC. His videos outline the need for non-OEM facilities to be allowed to make repairs. Since Apple is known for creating products with built-in obsolescence, the consumer should have the right to repair a failing part rather than dropping another $1k to $5k+ to replace the entire Macbook or iPhone.
I’ve enjoyed his videos over the years, especially when he points out the basic mistakes Apple’s in-house technicians make regarding simple problems like loose connections or faulty parts.
Below is Mr. Rossmann’s comments regarding the bill being passed.
Do you think this bill will have a wide-reaching effect on OEMs and indie repair shops? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: Ars Technica]
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