Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey, along with Vermont’s Bernie Sanders, are pushing for a global smartphone charging standard. He said in a letter sent Thursday to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
In the letter, the lawmakers are urging the Commerce Department to develop a strategy to protect consumers and reduce e-waste, in line with the European Union’s leadership on global shipping.
Warren wrote on Twitter: “Consumers don’t have to keep buying new chargers all the time for different devices. We can clean things to standardized standards – at lower cost, less hassle, and less waste.”
Consumers do not have to keep buying new chargers all the time for different devices. We can clean things to standard standards – for less cost, less hassle, and less waste.https://t.co/rbxLleahIj
— Elizabeth Warren (@warren) 7 July 2022
The senators argue that the lack of a global tonnage creates a financial burden on consumers and creates more e-waste, writing, “In addition to unnecessary spending by American consumers, the disposal and replacement of goods produces e-waste that leads to environmental damage, including dispersal of toxins in Water, soil pollution and air quality pollution. And when not used alone, more than 11,000 tons of e-waste are generated annually.”
Although the senator’s letter did not specify what these standard fees should be, A recent EU decision made the USB Type-C cable a global standardAnd while this cable covers most smartphones, tablets, headphones, headphones, and portable speakers, it doesn’t cover the iPhone that uses Apple’s exclusive Lightning connector for charging.
However, according to a USA Today report, the new EU decision may force Apple to replace it.
“We cannot allow the consumer electronics industry to prioritize proprietary and necessarily outdated charging technology over consumer protection and environmental health,” the letter read.
Time will tell whether the Commerce Department will take action on behalf of the senators’ request and whether Apple will meet the EU’s dilemmas and cancel their Lightning port.
“[The EU’s] This policy has the potential to dramatically reduce e-waste and help consumers who are tired of having to rummage through junk drawers full of tangled fees to find a compatible one, or buy a new one, the senators wrote. “The European Union has acted. wisely. For the public interest by taking strong technology companies on the subject of consumers and the environment. The United States should do the same.”
Diego Ramos Bechara is a freelance writer at IGN who is a fan of all things Star Wars, Rockstar, Naughty Dog, and Batman.
You can follow him on Twitter @DRamosBechara.
