October 21, 2019—The Massachusetts Right to Repair is about to hold a hearing today concerning the Digital Right to Repair, reports Techspot.
Massachusetts lawmakers will hold a three-hour hearing today regarding the state's proposed Digital Right to Repair act. Like the automobile right to repair, this act would require electronics manufacturers to make diagnostic, service, repair guides available to the public, while also prohibiting manufacturers to block repairs on a software or firmware level.
This year alone, 19 states have considered this type of legislation, where Massachusetts would be the first to pass any repair laws of any kind.
The right-to-repair is nothing new. Back in 2012, Massachusetts passed the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right-to-Repair Act, or Right-to-Repair, requiring automobile manufacturers to provide the same information to independent repair shops as they do for dealerships. Because of growing technology, the Massachusetts Right-to-Repair coalition is still fighting for the same rights in terms of telematics and privacy in newly manufactured cars.
According to the report, the right to repair has become more visible to the public.. It has attracted attention from both the FTC as well as presidential candidates, including Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. If the law does not pass, the right-to-repair could become a 2020 campaigning issue for many candidates.
