Consumer Reports applauds new law that provides Colorodans with the right to repair their digital devices
Denver, CO. — Colorado Governor Jared Polis today signed a landmark right to repair bill (HB 1121) into law. The new law continues Colorado’s support for consumers’ right to repair the devices that they own, and adds prohibitions against the practice of using software in a device to stop independent repairs. The new law is designed to make it easier and less expensive for consumers to fix their broken electronic devices while reducing the tons of electronic waste that wind up in landfills.
Justin Brookman, director of tech policy at Consumer Reports, said, “Consumer Reports strongly supports laws to protect a consumer’s right to repair their own products. It reduces waste, saves consumers money, and offers you more choices when it comes to maintaining your expensive gadgets and appliances.
“In this legislative season we have seen Oregon and Colorado pass comprehensive right to repair laws that also cover parts pairing, and we hope to see further legislative action to prevent software from becoming a tool to enforce manufacturers’ monopolies on the repair process.”
Under the Colorado law, manufacturers of consumer electronics, agricultural equipment, and powered wheelchairs must provide the repair tools and information required to diagnose, maintain and fix their products. Last year Colorado had passed a law protecting the right to repair powered wheelchairs and agricultural equipment, which are also protected in this legislation.
However, this new law will extend the right to repair phones, tablets, and other digital devices to more than 5.8 million people in the state. These consumers will be able to take their broken devices to the independent repair shop they choose, or fix it themselves, instead of being locked into the manufacturer’s repair service.
Colorado’s new law joins Oregon’s recent right to repair law as one of the only two in the nation to prevent parts pairing, which refers to a manufacturer’s practice of using software to identify component parts through a unique identifier. Manufacturers can use parts pairing to prevent access to repair or confuse the consumer about a third-party repair’s efficacy. As consumers increasingly purchase products with a software component and those products are connected to the internet, the lack of clarity around repair rules can mean that these devices exist in a gray area where even after a consumer purchases a product, the manufacturer retains control and ownership of it.
The Colorado law joins right to repair laws from Oregon, New York, Minnesota, and California, which means roughly 80 million Americans have the right to repair the devices they own.
Consumer Reports members sent their thoughts to Colorado’s lawmakers through an email campaign in support of the bill. Consumer Reports has also incorporated the right to repair into its Digital Standard, a set of best practices that CR uses to evaluate the privacy and security of software, digital platforms and services, and internet-connected products, as well as to help influence the design of these products.
Contact: cyrus.rassool@consumer.org