NY Times Wants National Right-to-Repair Standards

The New York Times urged right-to-repair standards for cellphones and other consumer electronic devices. An editorial Sunday said companies use warranties to push customers to authorized dealers and refuse to share schematics on the basis that they're “seeking to ensure the quality of repairs, protecting both their customers and their own reputations." An open marketplace for repairs “benefits consumers, independent retailers and the environment,” the paper said, noting national legislation may not be necessary and pointing out that after Massachusetts passed an auto repair law in 2012, major carmakers agreed to nationalize those standards. “A single state law could prove a dam buster for other kinds of products, too,” it said. At least 20 states have introduced right-to-repair legislation this year (see 1903190031).