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When you’re sick and just one opinion does not sit well, you don’t see just one doctor. You get second opinions, you compare treatments, and choose who you trust with your body. So why don’t we have the same freedom over the things we own?
Because if something you own breaks and you can’t fix it yourself, or choose among repair shops competing on price and quality, do you actually own that item? Or are you simply leasing it from the manufacturer, on their terms?
Too many everyday electronics and appliances are designed with planned obsolescence. Just one prime example is the Federal Trade Commission v. John Deere settlement over tactics to avoid releasing the necessary parts and tools around the right to repair.
When companies restrict access via proprietary screws and repair manuals locked behind legal teams, it ensures that we as the consumers are forced to replace rather than repair. Right to repair is simple: You should be able to fix what you own, either yourself or through a shop of your choosing.
Mainers already agree. In 2023, voters passed the automotive right to repair by a vote of 84% to 16%.
This spring, a bill covering the right to repair of electronics and appliances cleared the Maine Senate and came within two votes of passing the House. The sponsor, Sen. Mike Tipping of Orono, has moved it through the Senate twice and, I believe, remains committed to seeing this bill passed. So let’s unite to give this bill the push it needs.
Deklin Fitzgerald
Portland