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Local businesses split on helpfulness of Biden’s Right to Repair executive order

4 min read
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President Biden is taking on Big Tech.

On July 9, Biden signed an executive order that, among other things, directed the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to give consumers the right to repair their own electronic devices. Biden’s order encourages market competition and fair pricing and eliminates waste in the electronics industry.

Last Wednesday, the FTC’s five commissioners voted unanimously to support the order and promised to beef up law enforcement against repair restrictions.

Right to repair isn’t a new concept. Americans can hire third parties to repair home goods, take their vehicles to any mechanic they choose, or opt to purchase parts and make fixes themselves.

But those right to repair laws don’t extend to a number of industries, most notably the electronics industry. There’s always the risk that if a third party replaces your Apple iPad battery or Samsung Galaxy charging port, the device will no longer function properly.

In an informal Instagram poll, the majority of respondents said they trust retailers like Apple and Verizon over third-party retailers with device repairs.

“I think going through the main provider is a better option for phone repairs,” said Marque Marry, a Washington resident who responded to the social media poll. “They’re guaranteed to have the correct personnel and tools necessary to make sure the repair is done correctly.”

That’s the mentality independent repair businesses face. Small business owners hope Biden’s order can combat these stereotypes.

“This new bill is great,” said Lucy Orr, who owns Batteries Plus Bulbs in Trinity Point with her husband, Jeff. Their Samsung-authorized We Fix It department specializes in electronics repairs and the Orrs are optimistic Biden’s executive order will make it easier for independent repair providers to do business.

Legally, consumers can go anywhere for an electronics repair. They can even do it themselves.

But once opened for repair, many devices aren’t usable, and manufacturers use tiny parts that aren’t easily replaced or replicated. Repair documents for high-end goods like iPhones aren’t publicly available.

“Phone repairs, for the average person, you’re not gonna be able to do it,” said Jeff Orr. “You have to have specialized tools. If you put the wrong screw in the wrong place, it can go too deep and it’ll short out the logic board.”

Even if the U.S. follows Massachusetts’ lead – the only state with a Right to Repair law – there’s no guarantee repairs will be easier for small businesses or consumers, since device software is often coded to detect third-party repairs or after-market parts.

“It’ll keep nagging you there’s a nonauthentic part, or the face ID won’t work,” said Michael Borinsky, a technician at Cell Phone Repair in Belle Vernon. He said that while after-market parts – high-quality replacements manufactured by third parties – resolve issues and save time and money, they can cause your device to operate imperfectly.

For instance: “You would still be able to use the home button, but you wouldn’t be able to use the fingerprint,” said Borinsky.

Right to repair advocates hope Biden’s executive order will level the playing field, lowering repair costs and speeding up turnaround times. They also champion these laws as the solution to the growing global e-waste issue: America alone tosses 416,000 cellular devices in the trash daily.

The Orrs hope the executive order will make it easier for locally owned businesses to provide repair services that exceed customer expectations, but Borinsky doesn’t think right to repair laws will make much difference concerning supply availability or repair quality.

“There’s no real reason that Biden should have to do that,” said Borinsky, who believes the order is a way of appeasing independent repair providers. “Reform in software licenses, that is where it really has to be.”

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