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

ALBANY, NY (05/05/2021) (readMedia)-- Today, the Repair Association will join Assemblymember Fahy, consumer advocates, elected officials and other New Yorkers to rally for the Digital Fair Repair Act, which allows individuals and small businesses to repair digital devices ranging from smartphones, computers, farm equipment to household appliances. The Assemblymember will host a town hall following the press conference later this afternoon. Gay Gordon-Byrne, executive director of the Repair Association will be available to talk to press before and after the town hall.

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

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.

Press Conference

WHEN: Wednesday, May 5th at 11AM

Repair Association is available before/after for interviews. Please email katie@pythiapublic

WHERE: State Street Side of the New York State Capitol

Albany, NY

RAIN LOCATION: In front of State Street entrance of New York State Capitol

Albany, NY

WHO: Repair Association, Assemblymember Pat Fahy, Assemblymember John T. McDonald III, Senator Neil Breslin Repair Shop Owners

Town Hall

WHEN: Wednesday, May 5th at 2PM

WHERE: Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aPdKv2qCR3uFQ6vzEj76kw

WHO: Repair Association, Assemblymember Pat Fahy, Senator Neil Breslin, The League of Conservation Voters, New York Farm Bureau, iFixit, US PIRG, Consumer Reports adn New York Lawyers for Public Interest, and Repair Shop owners

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.