2023-05-03 00:02:03
Microsoft is headquartered in Washington state and this year, when the state legislature considered a right to repair bill, Microsoft showed its support.
The nonprofit site Grist reports that the committee tasked with reviewing this bill received an email from Microsoft’s senior director of government affairs, stating that the bill “fairly balances the interests of manufacturers, customers and independent repair shops and that in doing so it will provide more options for consumer repair of devices“.
The Fair Repair Act was blocked a week later due to opposition from the three Republicans on the commission and Senator Lisa Wellman, a Democrat and former Apple executive. (Apple often lobbies once morest right-to-repair bills, and in a hearing Ms Wellman defended the iPhone maker’s position by saying it was already doing enough on repairs). Despite the bill’s failure this year, right-to-repair advocates say Microsoft’s backing – a notable first for a major US tech company – is leading other manufacturers to negotiate the details of other plans for the first time. law on the right to repair.
“We are talking to manufacturers who are much more cooperative than before“said Grist Nathan Proctor, who leads the American Public Interest Group’s Right to Redress Campaign for Research.”I think Microsoft’s leadership and willingness to be first created this opportunity…“
Like other giants of consumer technology, Microsoft has historically fought right-to-repair bills while limiting access to spare parts, tools, and repair documentation to its network of “authorized” repair partners. “. In 2019, the company even helped defeat a Washington state reparations bill. But in recent years, the company has begun to change its tune on the issue. In 2021, under pressure from its shareholders, Microsoft agreed to take steps to make it easier to repair its devices – a first for an American company. Microsoft has followed up on this agreement by expanding access to spare parts and maintenance tools, notably through a partnership with the iFixit repair guide site. The tech giant also commissioned a study that found that repairing Microsoft products instead of replacing them can significantly reduce waste and carbon emissions. Microsoft has also begun to cooperate more with lawmakers on right-to-repair bills. In late 2021 and in 2022, the company met with lawmakers in Washington and New York to discuss proposed right to repair legislation in each state. In both cases, lawmakers and advocates involved in the negotiations over the bills described the meetings as productive…
When Washington state lawmakers re-initiated their right to repair bill for the 2023 legislative cycle, Microsoft once once more came to the negotiating table. From the perspective of Joe Nguyen, state senator and author of the bill, Microsoft’s view was as follows: “We see it coming, we’d rather be part of the conversation than left out. And we want to be sure that it will be done in a thoughtful way“.
Mr. Proctor, whose organization also participated in the negotiation of the Washington bill, said Microsoft had a few specific demands, including that the bill require repair shops to have third-party technical certification. and let them be sure. It was also important to Microsoft that the bill only cover products manufactured following the law’s effective date, and that manufacturers be required to provide only the same parts and documents to the public as those received by Microsoft. already their authorized repair service providers. According to Mr Proctor, some of the company’s demands have been “difficult” for defenders to concede. “But we did it, because we thought what they were doing was in good faith.“
Sources : Grist, Microsoft
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Do you think other big tech companies should follow Microsoft’s lead and support right-to-repair bills?
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