<div dir="ltr"><br><div><img src="cid:ii_kuylz9nw1" alt="image.png" width="125" height="48" style="margin-right: 0px;"> <br></div><div>Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.  </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><img src="cid:ii_kuylyg0f0" alt="image.png" width="413" height="122"><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="gmail-rwh_post_inner_box" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-radius:8px;border:0px solid rgb(0,0,0);background:padding-box padding-box transparent"><h1 class="gmail-rwh_post_title entry-title" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-family:"open sans",arial;line-height:1.5;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:24px;background-repeat:repeat;background-color:transparent"><a href="https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap/2021/07/29/federal-regulators-say-they-will-restore-the-right-to-repair/" title="Permalink to Federal regulators say they will ‘restore the right to repair’" rel="bookmark" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-decoration-line:none;background-color:transparent;background-repeat:repeat">Federal regulators say they will ‘restore the right to repair’</a></h1></div><div class="gmail-rwh_article" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;font-family:"open sans",arial;color:rgb(179,179,179)"><div class="gmail-postedon" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"><span class="gmail-meta" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">Published: July 29, 2021<br style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">Updated: </span>July 29, 2021<br style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"><span class="gmail-meta" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">by </span><span class="gmail-author gmail-vcard" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;float:none;max-width:74px"><a href="https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap/author/colinstaub/" title="View all posts by Colin Staub" class="gmail-url gmail-fn gmail-n" rel="author" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(120,50,20);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:middle">Colin Staub</a></span></div><div class="gmail-postcontent entry-content" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;background:padding-box padding-box transparent;border-radius:0px;border:0px solid rgb(0,0,0)"><div id="gmail-attachment_10655" class="gmail-wp-caption gmail-aligncenter" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto;padding:5px 3px 10px;clear:both;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;border:0px solid rgb(255,255,255);max-width:100%;text-align:center;width:910px"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10655" class="gmail-wp-image-10655 gmail-size-large" src="https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/02/phone-repair_103118_By-Alexey-Kabanov_Shutterstock_1108631045-web-1024x683.jpg" alt="A smartphone being repaired with tools." width="900" height="600" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; border: 0px solid transparent; border-radius: 0px; box-shadow: none; height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: auto;"><p id="gmail-caption-attachment-10655" class="gmail-wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 4px 5px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);text-align:left;line-height:17px;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><em style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">A policy statement includes several specific actions FTC will take and other steps it is asking the public to take.</em> | <em style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">Alexey Kabanov / Shutterstock</em></p></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)">The Federal Trade Commission last week pledged to heighten enforcement actions on manufacturers that block independent repair of their products.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span id="gmail-more-16381" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)">The commission, a federal agency tasked with focusing on consumer protection and antitrust law, on July 21 <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/07/ftc-ramp-law-enforcement-against-illegal-repair-restrictions" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(120,50,20);background-color:transparent;font-family:"open sans",arial">approved</a> a statement promising more attention will be placed on protecting independent repair of electronic devices.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)">“By enforcing against restrictions that violate antitrust or consumer protection laws, the Commission is taking important steps to restore the right to repair,” the company stated in a release.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)">In <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_statements/1592330/p194400repairrestrictionspolicystatement.pdf" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(120,50,20);background-color:transparent;font-family:"open sans",arial">the policy statement</a>, the FTC acknowledged enforcement of unlawful repair restrictions has not been a priority for the commission for several years. Now, the commission says it is devoting more resources to the topic.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:1em">“Restricting consumers and businesses from choosing how they repair products can substantially increase the total cost of repairs, generate harmful electronic waste, and unnecessarily increase wait times for repairs,” the policy statement reads. “In contrast, providing more choice in repairs can lead to lower costs, reduce e-waste by extending the useful lifespan of products, enable more timely repairs, and provide economic opportunities for entrepreneurs and local businesses.”</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:1em">The statement came two weeks after President Joe Biden </span><a href="https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap/2021/07/09/biden-issues-executive-order-on-right-to-repair/" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(120,50,20);background-color:transparent;font-family:"open sans",arial">issued an executive order</a><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:1em"> encouraging the FTC to support right-to-repair policies. It also comes shortly after a right-to-repair bill was </span><a href="https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap/2021/06/24/right-to-repair-bill-lands-in-congress/" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(120,50,20);background-color:transparent;font-family:"open sans",arial">introduced at the federal level</a><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:1em"> in June, and after a state right-to-repair bill passed one floor vote in New York state, the </span><a href="https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap/2021/06/17/right-to-repair-bill-clears-floor-vote-for-first-time/" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(120,50,20);background-color:transparent;font-family:"open sans",arial">first time a bill has made it that far</a><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:1em">.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:1em">The statement includes several specific actions FTC will take and other steps it is asking the public to take. For the public, the commission asks that consumers submit complaints and provide information to help with greater enforcement against repair restrictions.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:1em">FTC pledges to “scrutinize repair restrictions for violations of the antitrust laws,” according to the statement. It also says it will look into whether repair restrictions constitute “unfair acts or practices.” </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:1em">Additionally, the agency pledges to “closely coordinate with state law enforcement and policymakers to ensure compliance and to update existing law and regulation to advance the goal of open repair markets.”</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:1em">Prior to the unanimous vote, </span><a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_statements/1592358/p194400khanremarksrighttorepair.pdf" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(120,50,20);background-color:transparent;font-family:"open sans",arial">FTC Chair Lina Khan</a><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:1em"> and </span><a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_statements/1592354/final_chopra_prepared_remarks_on_right_to_repair.pdf" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(120,50,20);background-color:transparent;font-family:"open sans",arial">Commissioner Rohit Chopra</a><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:1em"> issued statements describing their support for the proposal. Among other points, Chopra said the FTC process for the public to report repair violations needs to be examined for improvement. </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)">The policy statement comes after the federal agency in May <a href="https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap/2021/05/13/ftc-signals-support-for-right-to-repair-push/" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(120,50,20);background-color:transparent;font-family:"open sans",arial">issued a report</a> that was critical of OEMs that restrict repair of their products.</p><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"></div></div></div></div>