The right to repair “movement” in the U.S. started with automobiles back in 2012, when voters in Massachusetts passed a ballot measure granting them a right to repair their cars.
That law – which required automakers to give owners and independent garages access to the same information, software and other resources that they provided to their dealerships and authorized repair shops – became a de-facto national right to repair cars, after the auto industry agreed to a memorandum of understanding that recognized the right in all 50 states. It also became a template for the other right to repair bills that started being introduced in state houses – everything from the wheelchair right to repair bill that passed in Colorado (and, more recently, California), to the broad electronics right to repair bills passed in New York, Minnesota, California, Colorado and Oregon.
Behind that ballot measure? The Auto Care Association – an industry group that represents independent repair shops, aftermarket parts manufacturers and suppliers and more. In the years since, the Auto Care Association has become a powerful force promoting right to repair – including the REPAIR Act, a proposed federal automotive right to repair.
Recently, Secure Repairs founder Paul Roberts was invited on the Auto Care Association’s Auto Care On Air: Traction Control podcast to talk about the state of the fight for a right to repair, and about the work Secure Repairs has done to promote both federal and state-level right to repair laws.
Paul speaks with host Stacey Miller about the critical importance of repairability across industries like automotive, agriculture, and personal electronics. Paul and Stacey also take on the myths surrounding the security risks of repair, the EU’s comprehensive right to repair laws with state-level initiatives in the United States and the paradox of right to repair laws with vast, bipartisan support that languish and die in state houses and on Capitol Hill.
Check out the podcast here or on your favorite podcast service!