Right To Repair: What it Means for The Future of Device Repair
Right to Repair legislation has been a hot topic over the last few years in not only the mobile phone industry, but across a number of industries whose products face regular, everyday wear and tear. These industries include mobile phones, appliances, farming equipment, and other industrial equipment. In a recent interview for RepairTalk TV, our CEO Jordan Notenbaum spoke at length about how important this legislation is for independent repair shops nationwide.
What is Right to Repair?
Simply put, Right to Repair is proposed legislation that would allow access to replacement parts, tools, and schematics to properly repair or alter property bought by consumers. It allows consumers the ability to repair their phones themselves and/or take their devices to the technician of their choice to perform a repair.
On June 3, 2022, the New York State Senate approved the Digital Fair Repair Act, which is a huge win for the Right to Repair movement. The next step is for Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the bill, making it a law in New York.
How Will This Affect My Repair Store?
The Digital Fair Repair Act will likely push manufacturers to provide access to replacement parts, tools, and schematics to states outside of New York and accelerate the willingness of OEMs to work with vendors like Mobile Defenders. In fact, we currently have partnerships with Motorola, LG, and OnePlus to provide customers with Genuine OEM parts, and are currently in conversation with several other OEMs to broaden that access for our customers.
The passing of this bill means that repair stores and consumers have choices when it comes to the replacement of broken parts in their electronic devices. They can swap out the screen with a high performing aftermarket display or they can replace it with a Genuine OEM one. Every person has different needs and this provides options based on those needs.
The landscape is changing almost daily, and while we can’t predict the future, we are hopeful that we’ll be able to provide a larger assortment of OEM parts available to you. Mobile Defenders is working diligently to make that a reality and we’ll keep you informed as things progress. If you’re curious about the state of Right To Repair legislation in your state, you can check here.
