Assemblymember Pat Fahy + Repair Association Rallied for Bill Allowing Consumers To Repair Electronics

ALBANY, NY (05/05/2021) (readMedia)-- Today, Assemblymember Pat Fahy, Senator Neil Breslin, and the Repair Association joined consumer advocates, small business owners, environmental conservationists, and farming advocacy organizations to push for legislation allowing individuals and small businesses to repair digital devices locally rather than being forced to pay the big corporations that make them. Products covered by the legislation are used by all New Yorkers, including consumer products like smartphones and computers, as well as farm and industrial equipment.

WATCH PRESS CONFERENCE HERE, TOWN HALL HERE.

"The Digital Fair Repair Act is a huge opportunity for New York's families, mom-and-pop repair shops, and the environment. Over a year into this pandemic, New Yorkers' phones, appliances, and farming equipment are being worked overtime and can't be fixed without this bill. Rather than having these devices end up in our landfills or being at the mercy of big tech's repair monopoly, everyday consumers and small business owners have a chance to fix our products," said Gay Gordon-Byrne, executive director of The Repair Association.

Assemblymember Patricia Fahy, sponsor of the Assembly bill that requires technology companies to provide diagnostic and repair information and release proprietary parts to consumer and local repair businesses (A.7006), led the town hall online following a press conference. Senator Neil Breslin is the Senate co-sponsor of the companion bill (S4104).

"The Fair Repair Act puts the consumer first, levels the playing field for independent repair shops, and reduces our e-waste footprint on the environment," said Assemblymember Patricia Fahy. "By requiring digital electronics manufacturers to allow access to critical information and parts required by independent, local repair shops to complete repairs on most products, this legislation ends what is a monopoly on the repair market by corporate actors and incentivizes competition within the industry. At the same time, we'd also help to reduce the massive amount of e-waste produced globally – over 44 million tons of electronic waste and 59 million devices are typically discarded in a single calendar year. Passing the 'right to repair' has overwhelming public support, and will ultimately boost our local economies while saving consumers money."

"All too often consumers have frustrating experiences with electronic manufacturers repair services, particularly when it comes to wait times and costs. During these challenging economic times, now more than ever people need financial relief. Having more cost effective repair options for their digital electronics would provide a great benefit to families all across New York," said State Senator Neil D. Breslin, sponsor of the legislation.

Assemblymember John T. McDonald III said, "This right to repair legislation will ensure that consumers have the ability to repair and modify things they've bought themselves or through a repair shop of their choosing. Consumers deserve fair access to diagnostic and repair data that would allow them cost saving opportunities."

Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris said, "A right to repair law would fundamentally end existing monopolies for fixing devices and would give consumers greater choice. It will save consumers much-needed dollars and reduce the waste and harmful environmental impacts caused by shorter device life spans."

"When agricultural equipment breaks down on a New York farm, it can take weeks to repair, often causing financial hardship for farmers as well as creating shortages of food available at local grocery stores," said Senator Michelle Hinchey, Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee. "Farmers are some of the most creative and ingenious people around, and the Digital Fair Repair Act empowers them with the instructions to fix their own equipment or employ a local contractor to do the work, removing the need to call for a company technician which can take weeks. I want to thank my colleagues, Assemblymember Pat Fahy and Senator Neil Breslin for their work on this critical legislation, which will break the repair monopoly that prevents our farmers from running their business and feeding our communities."

"We need a right to repair in New York State because it would lower the cost of repairs and make repair information readily available, help me fix more devices and throw less away, while helping schools, who cannot afford to buy more devices in the first place," said Justin Millman, owner of Cell Mechanic, Inc.

"Repairing more of the things we own could not only save us money, but allow society as a whole to consume less, produce less, and waste less, all while maintaining if not improving our collective quality of life," said Darren Cotton, founder of the Tool Library in Buffalo.

Twenty-seven states currently have some form of right to repair legislation in their state houses. Massachusetts is the only state with some form of right to repair law.

Background

There are roughly 1,200 different makes and models of cell phones available in the U.S. today. Roughly 20,000 new digital devices are introduced each year, and most of them cannot be repaired. Most of these lower-cost devices cannot be repaired at all due to lack of access to any parts, manuals, diagnostics tools or firmware. Any repair shop fixing Apple or Samsung phones already has more than enough skill to fix these less common brands.

In a pre-COVID survey, the Repair Association documented job growth related to passing the Digital Fair Repair Act and other right to repair legislation:

• Existing repair shops plan to hire 15% more employees immediately upon passage of a right to repair legislation.
• The full potential of job growth is more than 400% as businesses currently limited to a handful of repair-accessible brands can quickly expand their service offerings to cover similar, but repair-monopolized, products.

At the beginning of this year, consumer protection organization USPIRG released a study that found New York families would save big if they had the right and access to repair their electronics. Key New York findings from the study include:

• By repairing electronics, New York consumers would save a collective $2.4 billion per year.
• The average New York family would save approximately $330 per year and reduce household spending on electronics and appliances by 22%.
• New York would reduce its electronic waste. New York currently generates 655,000 tons per year.

ABOUT REPAIR ASSOCIATION: The Repair Association, officially the Digital Right to Repair Coalition, was formed in 2013 to serve the combined interests of the technology aftermarket. Our members span the interests of individuals, non-profits, and for-profits engaged in the repair, resale, recycling, and re-commerce of technology driven equipment. Our mission is to advocate for repair-friendly policies, statutes and standards.