But not everyone sees Right to Repair as the solution. U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) an independent, citizen-funded consumer rights organization, said the five tech giants — Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Facebook — all have lobbied against Right to Repair legislation. Other major companies also have contributed to the lobbying efforts, including Tesla, Johnson & Johnson, AT&T, T-Mobile, John Deere, General Electric and more, for a total of about $10.7 trillion. In spring and fall of 2018, General Electric, spent more than $200,000 to defeat the Right to Repair bill in New York state alone, according to U.S. PIRG.
"This is great news for farmers, and it's great news for everyone concerned with repair monopolies," U.S. PIRG Right to Repair Senior Campaign Director Nathan Proctor said in a press statement. "It also shows that the Right to Repair campaign is continuing to move forward, and win new support. Already, the vast majority of the American people agree with us. Now, it appears, the president also believes that people should be able to fix their stuff. It's time for manufacturers to wise up, because we're not going to stop pushing for our Right to Repair."
The jury is still out on whether a national Right to Repair law will ever happen. Two organizations, including U.S. PIRG and The Repair Association, a trade association representing independent repair workers, are pushing hard for one. And while a national law has support from Sen. Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), several other states are still introducing local bills similar to Massachusetts.
To date, more than 25 states have considered Right to Repair legislation in 2021.
Originally Published: Aug 13, 2019