New York Governor Signs New Right-to-Repair Law, but Advocates Say It’s Toothless – By Ian Sherr (CNET) / Dec 29, 2022
The law goes into effect in July. Advocates say it helps prevent e-waste. Critics say it won’t force device makers to offer parts for sale as intended.
The “right to repair” movement scored a win Wednesday, when New York’s Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, made her state the first in the US to establish that customers have the right to obtain diagnostic tools, parts and documentation from device makers in order to repair their devices. But right-to-repair advocates say the move will have limited impact.
The new law, called the Digital Fair Repair Act, is set to go into effect on July 1, and requires that manufacturers provide “documents like manuals and diagrams, and tools like diagnostics and parts” to consumers for many electronics, excluding items such as home appliances, vehicles and medical equipment.
Hochul said in a statement Wednesday evening that the legislation “as drafted included technical issues that could put safety and security at risk.” So she reached an agreement with the New York legislature that allows device manufacturers to provide “assemblies of parts,” meaning companies won’t be forced to sell individual components that may cost less, but instead can sell an “assembly,” like a circuit board with included chips, at a higher price. Companies will also be allowed to guard any security override tools from the public.
