Apple, Verizon, Caterpillar and the Consumer Tech Assoc Are Lobbying Against Right To Repair

Apple and other consumer electronics manufacturers are spending significant sums to defeat 'right to repair' legislation in a number of US states. The bills would free consumers to have their phones or other devices repaired by whoever they choose, saving time, hassle - and money.

The bills would require the manufacturers to make parts available to enable this activity.

The companies say they are opposed because they fear tampering and poor work. But the real reason appears to be that in today's throw-away society, consumers might actually find they dont need to buy new stuff quite so often, crimping the companies' profits. JL

Jason Koebler reports in Motherboard:

Lobbying records in New York show Apple, Verizon, Toyota, Lexmark, Caterpillar, phone insurance company Asurion,  Medtronic have spent money lobbying against the Fair Repair Act this year. The Consumer Technology Association, which represents thousands of electronics manufacturers, is also lobbying against the bill that would make it easier for consumers and independent companies to repair electronics.

Behind the scenes, Apple is trying to kill legislation that would make it easier for normal people to fix iPhones.

Lobbying records in New York state show that Apple, Verizon, and the tech industry's largest trade organizations are opposing a bill that would make it easier for consumers and independent companies to repair your electronics.

The bill, called the "Fair Repair Act," would require electronics companies to sell replacement parts and tools to the general public, would prohibit "software locks" that restrict repairs, and in many cases would require companies to make repair guides available to the public. Apple and other tech giants have been suspected of opposing the legislation in many of the 11 states where similar bills have been introduced, but New York's robust lobbying disclosure laws have made information about which companies are hiring lobbyists and what bills they're spending money on public record.
According to New York State's Joint Commission on Public Ethics, Apple, Verizon, Toyota, the printer company Lexmark, heavy machinery company Caterpillar, phone insurance company Asurion, and medical device company Medtronic have spent money lobbying against the Fair Repair Act this year. The Consumer Technology Association, which represents thousands of electronics manufacturers, is also lobbying against the bill.
.

Companies lobbying for or against right to repair legislation.

To be clear, each of the companies and trade organizations listed in this article—including Apple—lobbies on a variety of bills each year, and not all or even a majority of that money has been spent on right to repair legislation. But even a majority of that money has been spent on right to repair legislation. But the records show a huge discrepancy between the political clout of large corporations lobbying against this legislation and that of their customers, who stand to benefit greatly from the bill.

Fair repair is one of just three bills Apple lobbied on in March and April

The records show that companies and organizations lobbying against right to repair legislation spent $366,634 to retain lobbyists in the state between January and April of this year. Thus far, the Digital Right to Repair Coalition—which is generally made up of independent repair shops with several employees—is the only organization publicly lobbying for the legislation. It has spent $5,042 on the effort, according to the records.
A retainer agreement between Apple and lobbying firm the Roffe Group notes that the law firm will "lobby Apple's corporate issues, including but not limited to areas of environment, tax, and retail." According to the contract, Apple pays Roffe Group $9,000 per month for its services. According to the records, fair repair (New York Senate bill 618A) is one of just three bills Apple lobbied on in March and April. The records—which as far as I can tell have not been published on a news site before—also show that Apple lobbied against similar legislation in 2016 and 2015. As I mentioned, it's no huge secret that Apple is lobbying against right to repair. In Nebraska, for instance, the sponsor of a right to repair bill said she was visited by Apple lobbyists who told her the state would turn into a "Mecca for bad actors" if the legislation passed. But with New York's state records, we have proof that Apple's fighting against repair around the country. The important thing to keep in mind is that supporters of the bill have been very open about why they support the legislation. Meanwhile, the companies that are lobbying against it do not ever speak publicly about why they oppose fair repair laws. Both Apple and Roffe Group did not respond to my request for more information about the company's specific position on right to repair legislation.