As expected, Apple has voiced its opposition to the proposed "Right to Repair" Bill. The company believes such a bill will turn Nebraska, one of the states lobbying for the bill, into a "mecca" for hackers.
The "Right to Repair" Bill, first introduced as the Digital Right to Repair Bill, aims to require manufacturers of electronic products to allow its consumers and independent professional repairmen (and women) access to repair parts as well as diagnostic and repair manuals. The bill will stop the industry practice of only allowing electronic devices to be repaired by the manufacturing company itself or through authorized repair companies. This basically means that consumers will no longer have to spend a large amount of money just to get their devices fixed.
Motherboard noted that Apple will be sending a representative to the hearing for the bill set on Mar. 9 in Lincoln, Nebraska. The hearing will also be attended by other companies that oppose the bill particularly AT&T. According to reports, Apple indicated that self-repair on smartphones could be a potentially risky affair. Smartphones use lithium batteries which can easily explode if not handled properly. Such an incident is reminiscent of how the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 ended up in flames before its production was ceased last year.
This is not the first time that Apple has opposed such a bill. It succeeded before in preventing New York from passing the bill with possible safety issues as its major point of contention. Repair.org's Gay Gordon-Byrne, who will testify at the Nebraska hearing, stresses that the safety excuse is getting old. Apple and the other companies are accused of thinking more of the bill's negative effect on their income instead of caring for their customers.
Sen. Lydia Brasch, a sponsor of the bill, was told by Apple representative Steve Kester that the bill will make it "easy for hackers to relocate to Nebraska". Jester, along with Alexi Madon of CompTIA, further said that there are enough authorized repair centers to accommodate all iPhones and other Apple device. Brasch countered that she has to travel 80 miles to Omaha before she can have her Apple computer fixed.
Earlier this year, five U.S. states initially pushed for the "Right to Repair" bill to push through. Aside from Nebraska, the original five includes Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York. Lawmakers from Tennessee, Illinois, and Wyoming have since joined the fight to allow common folks to fix their own devices.
