FTC Not Having Done So, Third-Party Tech Device Repairer Posts Own Comments

Though the FTC hasn’t released comments it received by the April 30 deadline for the “Nixing the Fix” inquiry into manufacturer restrictions on third-party repairs, one advocate for third-party repairs did. IFixit believes device owners “should have the right to repair, modify, and tinker with the things they own.” iFixit blogged that it was posting its comments online for download “in the interest of full transparency” for people who thought right-to-repair was just “a fringe issue that only affects the tech-savvy DIYers among us.” The agency wants to know whether the limitations can thwart consumer protections under the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, (see 1904220039). The FTC will post the high volume of submissions it received “at some point” on the agency’s Nixing the Fix “event page,” emailed a spokesperson Thursday. “It may take a while since we have to review it all.” The FTC has said it will use the comments to shape the agenda for the Nixing the Fix workshop it will host July 16. Tech groups, including CTA, for years have lobbied heavily against state right-to-repair laws on various grounds, including that they wrongly impose government regulation on the relationship between OEMs and equipment repair facilities. CTA didn’t comment Thursday.