Early Friday, President  Joe Biden signed an  executive order directing the Federal Trade Commission to draft new regulations limiting device manufact

Joe Biden Wants You to Be Able to Fix Your Own Damn iPhones

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2021-07-09 21:30:04

Early Friday, President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing the Federal Trade Commission to draft new regulations limiting device manufacturers’ ability to restrict independent repairs of their products. The new rules for technology manufacturers are part of a sweeping order aimed at a wide range of industries—including banking, tech platforms, labor markets, internet service providers, and airlines—with the collective goal of increasing competition across the US economy.

The new directive to the FTC comes a couple of months after the commission delivered a 54-page report to Congress that concluded “there is scant evidence to support manufacturers’ justifications for repair restrictions.” Reuters reported earlier this week that a draft of the executive order was in the works, and White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on Tuesday that Biden would soon issue an executive order to the US Department of Agriculture that would address farmers’ “right to repair their own equipment how they like.”

It’s too soon to determine what the FTC’s new rules might look like or how long it will take the agency to impose any new regulations. But the Biden administration’s involvement in repair issues brings national attention to a topic that has, for the most part, been addressed only in legislation at the state level. And it could have major implications for large tech companies and equipment makers that have historically held a tight grip on how—and by who—their devices can be repaired.

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