Why we need Right to Repair legislation

To the Times:

I once had a friend whose iPhone battery swelled up about 2 inches overnight. Caused by a poorly made, knock-off version of an Apple charger, the swelling not only destroyed her battery, but also shattered her screen and compromised several other features of her device. She went back to Apple to fix the damage and, between replacement parts and labor, the total cost of the repair would have been more than the cost of the phone itself so she simply replaced the device altogether.

Had the parts, tools, and service information necessary to repair my friend’s phone been accessible to her at the time, she would have been able to save her phone and a great deal of money. However, as more and more people rely on smartphones, we’ve seen companies like Samsung and Apple preventing us from repairing our own products without making replacement parts available to independent repair shops.

Right to Repair legislation would make these parts for consumer electronics, along with medical machines and farming equipment, more accessible. This would ultimately save money for consumers and businesses, and limit the amount of electronic waste going to landfills.

Right now, state legislators in Pennsylvania have the opportunity to support a Right to Repair bill. I encouragestate Rep. Chris Quinn, R-168 of Middletown, and state Sen. John Kane, D-9 of Birmingham, to sign on in support of this important legislation.