Why we need the ability to fix our stuff

More and more each year, to both work efficiently and enjoy our leisure time, we need working gadgets — phones, computers, appliances and more — and the companies that make those devices are well aware of our dependence on them. 

That’s why the fight to determine who can fix modern devices has heated up across the country — 27 states and Congress are considering “Right to Repair” legislation this year — and the globe. This battle pits product manufacturers against independent repair shops, environmental and consumer advocates, DIYers, STEM educators, farmers, hospitals and others who see no reason you shouldn’t be able to fix the things you own yourself or have the freedom of choice to decide who you want to repair them. 

Here’s the rub: Manufacturers restrict access to critical repair resources such as spare parts, repair documentation (including manuals and schematics) and software resources necessary for repairs. The goal of the Right to Repair movement is to require access to those resources to make sure the manufacturer isn’t the only one who can fix devices. 

The isolation spurred by COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns forced us to become increasingly reliant on electronic equipment for learning, work, cooking, cleaning and staying connected while staying home. When only the manufacturer has access to what is needed to conduct repairs, it forces you to turn to the “manufacturer-authorized” repair shop for service. 

When the manufacturers are the only option, they can charge you an arm and leg for a simple fix or push you into upgrading to a new device. And if you need your device to attend school or do your job, they have you over a barrel. 

These monopolistic restrictions don’t just crop up with consumer devices. In fact, just about everything with a microchip has become a hassle to fix — from tractors to medical devices such as ventilators, which have been essential in treating COVID-19 patients. If you think you would be bent out of shape without your phone or laptop, imagine being a farmer who can’t fix their harvesting equipment, which is sitting useless in the fields, watching the weather turn and waiting for the dealer’s technician to show up with proprietary repair tools, hopefully before you lose the entire crop. 

“I call it holding me hostage,” said Walter Schweitzer, a farmer and president of Montana’s Farmers Union, in a recent interview. 

Or imagine running a hospital, and a company that makes medical devices tells you that your trained, skilled, in-house repair technicians are not allowed to access the service manual for a device needed for life-saving medical care because you don’t have the right kind of contract with that manufacturer. Even the military has to deal with equipment it is not permitted to fix, but instead has to send away to the “approved” repair facility. 

Perhaps it’s no surprise that Right to Repair efforts have expanded and that President Joe Biden and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have taken notice. 

Last week, the FTC, in a unanimous 5-0 vote, approved a policy statement outlining a new approach to crack down on “unlawful repair restrictions,” and devote more resources to enforcement actions. This comes less than two weeks after the president signed an executive order calling for the FTC to initiate new rules to protect consumers’ and farmers’ Right to Repair. It also called for a Defense Department review of repair restrictions. 

These steps in Washington are significant wins for those of us fighting for the Right to Repair. But we must keep our foot on the gas to make sure support from the president and the FTC translate to real gains for the consumers, schools, farmers and hospitals trying to maintain their equipment. State legislatures can make that happen — hopefully, this will nudge the 27 states that considered bills this year to pass new laws next session.

The consequences for what happens next are huge. Americans dispose of 416,000 cell phones every day. The lack of repair options fuels a system that considers everything disposable is expensive for consumers and devastating to the planet. 

Earlier reports by PIRG, where I work as the campaign director for Right to Repair, estimate that repair could save American families $40 billion per year. If we used our cell phones a year longer, it would have the climate impact of taking 636,000 cars off the road.

Clearly, our relationship with stuff is broken — but luckily, it can be repaired. First, we need to fix the laws and enforcement gaps that allow manufacturers to lockout repair.  

Nathan Proctor is the senior campaign director for the Right to Repair at U.S. PIRG, a public interest advocacy organization