FTC report may boost Right to Repair

A new report to the U.S. Congress by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Nixing the Fix: An FTC Report to Congress on Repair Restrictions, is critical of manufacturers' justifications for repair restrictions. The U.S. PIRG Right to Repair Campaign Director wrote that the report "strongly supports our argument that there is no good reason for companies to keep blocking repair access." Resource Recycling wrote that the report "may boost efforts in state legislatures to pass a right-to-repair law mandating OEMs provide the parts, tools and information needed to repair electronics." The report was lauded by repair groups and consumer advocacy organizations who support right to repair laws like those considered but not passed this year in both Washington and Oregon. Extreme Tech wrote that the report "blasts manufacturers excuses," while Consumer Reports wrote that "manufacturers are making repairs too hard for consumers."