New York’s “Right To Repair” Bill Sabotaged By Governor Hochul?

Source: State of New York's Executive Chamber

Louis Rossmann has advocated for New York to adopt “Right To Repair” legislation allowing third-party repair shops to access individual components, schematics, and passwords required to repair items such as smartphones and laptops for nearly a decade. Initially, the bill was passed by a vast majority, but something happened this week that may have wholly sabotaged all that hard work.

Although Governor Kathy Hochul signed the bill into action, the contents of Senate Bill 1404A were modified, essentially stripping it of the needed power. Thanks to a Reddit post, we could see the exact wording changed. Where the Right To Repair movement wanted repair facilities to have access to individual parts, Governor Hochul had “reached an agreement with the legislature to address” supposed safety and security risks by eliminating “the bill’s original requirement calling for original equipment manufactures to provide to the public any passwords, security codes or materials to override security features and allows for original equipment manufacturers may provide assemblies of parts rather than individual components when the risk for improper installation heightens the risk of injury.

What risk of injury? How was this quantified? What evidence is there of individual part replacement or repair leading to the technician or customer being injured? Not only that, but the nebulous wording now gives Apple, Samsung, and others a way to opt-out of providing less expensive parts and force repair shops to purchase costly assemblies.

Source: State of New York’s Executive Chamber

Those following the Right To Repair Bill’s advocacy have undoubtedly seen Louis Rossmann’s reaction. If not, check it out below:

If you’ve ever had to get a Macbook repaired, you’ll know that Apple quickly tells you that a considerable chunk of the laptop needs to be replaced because a single feature, button, or function may be faulty. I left my old Macbook with them after a “Genius” Bar employee said a small crack in the case would require me to replace the entire motherboard. A break in the cheap white plastic exterior meant I needed to pay around $1,000. This was back in 2010 when I was still recovering from the recession. It was easier to buy a super inexpensive laptop from HP and start all over.

What are your thoughts on the changes made to this important bill? Let us know below.

[Source: Louis Rossmann’s YouTube Channel] [Source: Reddit]
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Mike Phalin

Longtime problematic entertainment journalist. The former workhorse for Dread Central, ScienceFiction.com, and Fanbolt.

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