A group of U.S. Congressional representatives have expressed concern with how Massachusetts’ Data Access Law will be enforced, according to a news release from the CAR Coalition.

Reps. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Jared Golden (D-ME), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA)–the latter being a former auto repair shop owner and REPAIR and SMART Act co-sponsor–addressed a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and NHSTA Administrator Sophie Shulman, highlighting potential pitfalls for independent repair businesses in the recently passed Massachusetts right-to-repair law.

Though the NHTSA initially opposed the implementation of the law, it came to an agreement with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office on how it would be enforced. 

However, the representatives argued that NHTSA’s current guidance allows for differences in remote data access between automaker repair networks and independent repair businesses, effectively creating what they called a double standard. 

Through means such as data access restrictions and design patent misuse, manufacturers will attempt to establish dominance over their independently operated competitors, the letter asserts.

“Our constituents understand the importance of supporting small businesses and preserving their right to repair the vehicles they own,” Gluesenkamp Perez, Auchincloss, and Golden wrote. “Without competition from independent repair shops, auto manufacturers have no incentive to price repair parts competitively.”