From WIRED · Boone Ashworth · · 1m 10s
Midterms signal momentum for right-to-repair
Candidates across party lines ran on repair policies in the 2024 midterms, and voters backed them, pointing to a rare bipartisan opening.
In brief
Candidates across party lines ran on repair policies in the 2024 midterms, and voters backed them, pointing to a rare bipartisan opening. Right-to-repair candidates won or advanced in the midterms, and voters passed a repair measure in Minnesota, suggesting bipartisan appetite for laws limiting manufacturer locks on…
Repair candidates win in midterms
Iowa senator-elect Josh Turek and presumptive Minnesota state representative Jake Johnson both centered repair policies in their platforms, focusing on issues affecting farmers and their equipment.
Minnesota voters back renters' repair rights
In St. Paul, Minnesota, voters passed a measure ensuring renters' right to repair with overwhelming support, signalling public appetite for repair protections.
Bipartisan moment for repair legislation
Nathan Proctor, senior director of PIRG's right-to-repair campaign, says a political climate where people want policies that stand up for the little guy and work bipartisan is very good for right-to-repair.
“A political climate where people want policies that stand up for the little guy, help reduce unnecessary costs, and work in a bipartisan way, that's a very good environment for right-to-repair.”
DMCA reform seen as legislative priority
Section one thousand two hundred and one of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a nineteen ninety-eight federal statute, made it illegal to circumvent digital locks.
“If I were a new or returning member of Congress, I would see DMCA reform as a no-brainer.”
The essence
Right-to-repair candidates won or advanced in the midterms, and voters passed a repair measure in Minnesota, suggesting bipartisan appetite for laws limiting manufacturer locks on devices.
