New York’s legislature has the chance to make history and stand up for users’ rights by passing the Digital Fair Repair Act. Assemblymember Patricia Fahy’s bill, A7006-B, would require companies to give people access to what they need to fix their stuff by selling spare parts and special tools at fair and reasonable terms. It would also provide all customers and third-party repair technicians access to repair information, software, and give them the ability to apply firmware patches.
New York: Speak up for Your Right to Repair
Asm. Fahy and the Repair Coalition have worked hard to stand up for users’ rights and stand strong for a bill that would be a landmark piece of legislation.
New York’s bill is poised to be the first broad right-to-repair bill to make it into law. While Colorado’s legislature rightly passed a narrow right-to-repair bill focused on wheelchair repairs, many of this year’s proposals have fallen in the face of strong opposition from industry trade groups. In California, for example, a general right-to-repair bill passed through the Judiciary Committee only to be stopped in the Senate Appropriations committee—without a public hearing. It was opposed by groups such as TechNet and the Telecommunications Industry Association.
Big companies do not want independent repairers to have access to these repair materials because they can charge higher prices for parts and repair if they hold a monopoly, or even force customers to buy brand-new devices by making repair impossible. But that’s bad for consumers; without competition, we end up paying more to repair or replace devices, getting worse service, and we wind up with more devices in landfills.
Establishing a right to repair in New York makes it easier for people to fix their broken devices, helps independent businesses, and helps the environment. New York’s legislature only has a couple of days to act on this important bill.
Tell your Assemblymember that the right to repair is important to you and urge them to vote “Yes.”
New York: Speak up for Your Right to Repair
