CDT Comments in Support of US PIRG/ iFixit Petition

CDT Comments in Support of US PIRG/ iFixit Petition To Federal Trade Commission For Rulemaking on Right to Repair Docket FTC-2023-0077 February 2, 2024 The Center for Democracy & Technology (“CDT”) submits these comments in support of the Petition submitted in the above-referenced docket by the U. [...] These include significant harm to competition, higher costs, and greater inconvenience, disruption to business activity and to health and safety, and increased waste and environmental harm. [...] CDT has been a strong supporter of efforts to secure the Right to Repair – for consumers to have an effective right to choose where to get their electronics-enabled products repaired, and for independent repair shops to have a right to a fair opportunity to compete to provide their services to consumers.2 Securing this Right to Repair would reinstate for the Electronic Age one of the fundamental r. [...] CDT’s efforts to secure a Right to Repair have centered on a simple proposition of fair access: that a manufacturer of a device that runs on digital electronics should be required to provide parts, tools, and technical information for repairing the device to independent repair service providers at costs and terms equivalent to the most favorable costs and terms it offers to any of its selected aut. [...] The specific goals and elements for a rule that the Petition sets forth for meeting reasonable consumer expectations are all appropriate for the Commission to consider.