U.S. President Joe Biden to Direct FTC to Draft Right to Repair Rules

United States President Joe Biden plans to direct the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to create new right to repair rules that would affect tech companies like Apple, reports Bloomberg.

apple independent repair program
The rules would prevent manufacturers from limiting consumers' options for repairing products at independent repair shops or on their own, and the presidential directive is expected to mention mobile phone developers as an area for possible regulation. The FTC will be able to decide on the size and the scope of the order, so it is not yet clear how Apple might be impacted.

Multiple states have proposed right to repair legislation, which Apple has continually lobbied against. Apple claims that allowing independent repair shops to work on Apple devices without oversight would lead to security, safety, and quality issues. Many of the right to repair bills that have circulated call on tech companies to provide repair manuals and easy access to device components for repair purposes.

Apple does its own repairs in house at Apple retail stores and repair centers around the world, but it also works with Apple Authorized Service Providers to provide repair options. AASPs are managed by Apple and must meet Apple requirements, with some repairs and components limited.

When Right to Repair bills began surfacing, Apple also launched a worldwide Independent Repair Program that is designed to provide repair shops that are not AASPs with genuine parts, tools, repair manuals, and diagnostics for performing out-of-warranty repairs on Apple devices.

Repair shops have complained that Apple's program is too limited as it requires an Apple-certified technician to perform the repairs (available under a free program), and some parts are not provided to independent repair shops.

Biden's executive order is expected to be released in the coming days, and White House economic adviser Brian Deese on Friday said that it is meant to spur "greater competition in the economy" as well as lower prices for American families.

Back in November, the European Parliament also voted to develop new Right to Repair rules that will require companies to provide explicit information about the repairability and lifespan of products on consumer packaging. Under the terms of this order, manufacturers will need to provide a repair score, something that France has already enacted.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Top Rated Comments

JPack Avatar
32 months ago
You know it's ridiculous when you can't even buy an OEM battery replacement.

Can you imagine if you had to replace tires with OEM only? And if you didn't a warning light would appear?
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
moabal Avatar
32 months ago
I am not a fan of Joe Biden. However, if this is what it sounds like, I would be happy (Louis Rossmann too I imagine). However, any final regulation/law would probably be mucked up a little if it gets that far.

Edit: LOL people disliking this because I am not a fan of Joe Biden. Do not read too much into this.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Doctor Q Avatar
32 months ago
Whether or not these bills become law, it's important for consumers to know if a repair company is run by Apple, is Apple-certified, is non-certified but uses only Apple parts, or is completly independent, and some way to verify this, so they can make informed choices.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Expos of 1969 Avatar
32 months ago
Waiting to see what Louis Rossmann says about this.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jk73 Avatar
32 months ago
Better/longer warranty protection would be far better than “right to repair.”
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
32 months ago

This is just silly. If you can’t bother to get certified in the repair you‘re doing, you don’t have the right to be in business.

I’d like the government to stay out of this, personally. If it’s just a question of who has access to parts, I’m less bothered, but if it forces design changes on Apple the we all suffer.
Disagree 100%. You should be able to start your small repair shop today. The government should be focused on making it as easy as possible to start up a new business.

You want deregulation? The government is making it happen, removing all of Apple's regulations.

Really, this is simple monopoly busting. Apple is free to compete with their repair shops. If you think Apple's repairs are worth the higher price, by all means go with them. If you think Apple's certifications mean something, go ahead and use an Apple certified independent repair shop. But personally, I like the 16 year old in high school who will fix my phone for $30. Kid is learning how to operate a business and gaining skills for a trade - it's far more valuable than anything else they'll get in high school, and I applaud efforts to make it easier.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
magsafe blue 2

iOS 17.2 Brings Qi2 Support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Models

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

'All-Screen' iPhone Under-Display Camera Enters Development

Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UPC differs from a typical front ...
instagram messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month

Tuesday December 5, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform....
airpods pro bulbs

Black Friday Prices Return for AirPods Pro 2 With USB-C, iPad, and More

Tuesday December 5, 2023 7:30 am PST by
Today we're tracking a collection of deals that are matching - or nearly matching - the same all-time low discounts we saw during Black Friday. This includes the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, 9th generation iPad, and M1 MacBook Air. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the ...
iPhone 15 USB C Port Event Still

Apple Pushes Back Against iPhone USB-C Regulations in India

Tuesday December 5, 2023 4:18 am PST by
Apple has asked the Indian government to exempt existing iPhones from new rules that require smartphones sold in the country to have a USB-C charging port, reports Reuters. India wants to replicate an upcoming European Union rule that requires all smartphones to implement the USB-C charging standard. However, according to a new report, Apple has told India its local production targets will...