Committee endorses Sen. Mike Tipping bill to guarantee Mainers the right to repair their own electronic devices, support small electronic repair shops in Maine

AUGUSTA – On Thursday, Jan. 29, the Housing and Economic Development Committee endorsed a bill from Sen. Mike Tipping, D-Orono. LD 1908, “An Act to Require the Cooperation of Original Manufacturers of Electronic Devices to Facilitate the Repair of Those Devices by Device Owners and Independent Repair Providers,” would guarantee Mainers the right to repair their own electronic devices and support small electronic repair shops in Maine.

“This bipartisan electronic right to repair bill is designed to protect the rights of Maine people and allow them to fix the stuff they own,” said Sen. Tipping. “No one should have to pay nearly as much as a new phone or computer to repair the one they already have. These protections will bring down the costs of repairs for Mainers dramatically, reduce electronic waste and counter anti-consumer practices.”

The bill would require that manufacturers of digital devices doing business in Maine make the same repair materials they already provide to their repair partners available to device owners and independent repair specialists on fair and reasonable terms. During a work session on the bill, a majority of members supported additional exemptions for water testing equipment and imaging devices that require anti-counterfeit measures, but kept the bulk of the bill intact.

Testifying in support of the bill, Sheldon Arford, the owner of Maine Computer Services in Augusta, said, “We don’t repair Apple products because it’s near-impossible to get OEM parts for them without buying used parts at outrageous prices. We get dozens of calls a week asking about Apple repairs that we have to give the bad news about. With solid right to repair laws, we could gain access to OEM parts and schematics to allow us to do repairs.”

The bill would include exclusions for diagnostic medical devices used in hospitals, ATVs, generators and power sources, commercial switching gear, security systems and game consoles.

Nationwide, 10 states have passed electronic right to repair laws, and legislation has been introduced in all 50 states.

In the coming weeks, LD 1908 will face votes in the full Senate and House.

###