CUB Supports the Right to Repair Act (SB 1596)

Posted on February 6, 2024 by Jennifer Hill-Hart
Tags, Energy, Telecommunications, General Interest

This year, CUB is supporting the Right to Repair Act (SB 1596). This bill expands your ability to repair your electronics, from cell phones to electronic home appliances. Right to Repair requires manufacturers to allow access to necessary parts, tools, and repair manuals.

The Right to Repair Act removes barriers so we can fix our electronics, increasing affordability, reducing e-waste, and reducing energy demand from manufacturing.

Right to Repair: Fixing What You Already Own

Right now, it can be incredibly difficult to fix electronics. Manufacturers might glue down pieces to prevent repair. They may install software that blocks the ability to replace necessary parts of your electronics (known as parts pairing). Highly specialized tools needed for replacing parts can be hard to find. And the parts themselves may be completely unavailable.

Right to Repair removes these barriers so we can fix our electronics, increasing affordability and reducing e-waste.

More Affordable Electronics, Increasing Internet Access

CUB was troubled by manufacturer-imposed repair restrictions before the pandemic. COVID-19 has underscored the need for consumer fair repair rights, particularly for electronic communication devices needed for modern life.

Organizations like Free Geek would help bridge this device access gap, especially for low-income households. In 2020, Free Geek estimated that Oregon students lacked at least 75,000 computers needed for distance learning. Even as we have returned to public life, low-income households lack access to affordable electronics.

Reducing Harmful Pollution & Energy Use

Repairing and extending the life of household electronics reduces waste and harmful pollution. When we throw away household electronics, those devices often sit in landfills in our communities. E-waste, especially batteries, can be incredibly harmful to both the planet and the people who live near landfills. Oregonians dispose of over a million cell phones alone every year.

U.S. PIRG estimates that if the useful life of all phones currently used in the US was extended by just one year, the impacts on emissions from manufacturing would be staggering. The overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would equal the annual emissions from more than 600,000 gas-powered cars.

Covering Older Electronics

The Right to Repair Act will also cover older electronics that Oregonians already own. Different types of gadgets have different production dates in this bill that manufacturers must make repairable. These dates were developed after conversations with nonprofits and small businesses whose work is to refurbish such devices. These dates will allow them to continue to effectively service their customers in Oregon.

Smart Phones: The Right to Repair Act covers smartphones that were manufactured after 2025. This means that new smartphones would be covered under this bill.

Computers and Other Appliances: The bill covers computers and other home appliances that were manufactured after July 1, 2015. This means that any computers or home electronic appliances that were manufactured after this date would be covered under this bill.

Manufacturers are Getting in the Way of Repair

Big business is getting in the way of our access to repair. Industry-created restrictions benefit manufacturers and sellers because we have to buy a new product when the broken one can’t be repaired.

Support the Right to Repair Act today to remove barriers and make electronics more affordable for Oregon households.

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