After years of false starts, a bill that would make it easier — and potentially cheaper — to fix products ranging from tablet computers to tractors could finally be gaining enough traction to become law in Minnesota.
The legislation, called the “Fair Repair” bill, would require electronics manufacturers to make their repair manuals, tools and parts available for purchase by consumers and repair shops. A bill in the House is moving to a floor vote after being attached to the House Judiciary Committee omnibus policy bill. Meanwhile, a companion bill is awaiting action by the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Finance and Policy Committee.
The bill would change current laws under which electronic manufacturers and farm-equipment dealers are not required to provide repair shops with replacement parts or instructions on how to repair devices.
Device owners argue these powerful companies have created a repair monopoly that makes it costly and frustrating to fix their smartphones, computers and farming equipment. Environmental advocates also believe that consumers are more likely to discard their devices if they can’t be repaired, contributing to a growing pollution problem caused by electronic waste.
Tech Dump is one of the Twin Cities organizations supporting the movement. The St. Paul-based electronics recycler also runs Tech Discounts, which sells refurbished electronics.
Tech Dump accepts used, broken or unwanted electronics and attempts to refurbish them. But these repairs become difficult when the right parts aren’t available. Because Tech Dump can’t order pieces directly from manufacturers like Apple, they end up waiting for the exact right part to come in for a particular device.
Tech Dump CEO Amanda LaGrange said since the company was founded in 2010, it has processed over 35 million pounds of electronics. But only 10% of that total by weight can be repurposed. LaGrange said Tech Dump can’t refurbish more devices, because it’s not cost effective to harvest more components than it needs at any given time.
The issue isn’t limited to just personal electronics. Farm equipment manufacturers such as Moline, Ill.-based Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) increased their revenue streams by restricting repairs to authorized dealers.
Stu Lourey, government relations director with the Minnesota Farmers Union, described the tactic as “a tool that unfortunately some manufacturers use to lock farmers in to paying for really expensive repairs from their authorized dealers,” Lourey said.
The problem is compounded even more when tight planting and harvest windows are taken into consideration.
“There’s real monetary costs if you’re paying some technician, who meanwhile is really busy, to plug a USB into your tractor to diagnose some problems,” Lourey said.
Similar bills have appeared in the Minnesota Legislature for years, but never passed.
But legislation is gaining support in other states, and companies may be seeing the writing on the wall. Last month, John Deere announced it will offer its diagnostic service tool to individuals and independent repair shops starting in May.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), based in Cupertino, California, said it would offer tools and parts to individual consumers.
But LaGrange said companies aren’t going far enough. For example, Apple’s program is only starting with its two most recent iPhone models.
“I would not have expected the progress that has been made in the last year,” LaGrange said. “It is limited, though. So there's still, at this point, a need for legislation.”
