There is a law making its way through the legislature in California that would support right to repair. Not everyone is happy with the specific details of that bill and our legislative committee has discussed those at length over several months. Regarding what the bill contains, Karl wrote about this previously and also at length on his personal blog.
What does Right to Repair mean?
Right to repair is a movement that advocates for the ability to repair and modify electronic devices and appliances. It is a consumer’s right to have access to the information and parts necessary to repair their own devices or have them repaired by a third party. California Senate Bill 244 extends “right to repair” to include electronics and appliances. This means that manufacturers will be required to make available parts, tools, and manuals for repairs of their products. This will allow consumers to have more control over their devices and reduce electronic waste.
Microsoft Co-Pilot
Effectively it’s a movement to allow people to fix stuff. It can apply to any type of mechanical device, but in IT we’re talking about laptops, computers, and cellular phones primarily. As you can imagine repairing the physical components of these devices is BIG business. How many stores offering to repair your cell phone screen did you drive past today? Probably a few.
Why is it important for us to take a stand on Right to Repair?
Because Right to Repair is important to our members, at the March board of directors meeting, the board decided to move to support, as a general concept the right to repair. This will allow the organizations’ volunteers to go forward into discussions with legislators, make comments on legislation, in all levels of government, with a clear message that this is our position.
Are you reading this but aren’t yet a member of the National Society of IT Service Providers? Please join us today. Together we can move this industry toward more professionalism and be in all the places where people are making decisions about our future.