All 50 States Have Now Pushed Right To Repair Laws, But Actual Enforcement Is Spotty At Bestfrom the fix-your-own-shit deptMon, Mar 10th 2025 05:27am - Karl BodeState laws attempting to make it cheaper and easier to repair your own tech continue to gain steam. With the recent introduction of a new right to repair law in Wisconsin, U.S. PIRG notes that all 50 U.S. states have now at least introduced such bills:This is more than a legislative landmarkits a tipping point. Weve gone from a handful of passionate advocates to a nationwide call for repair autonomy,said Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit.People are fed up with disposable products and locked-down devices. Repair is the future, and this moment proves it.While U.S. consumer protection issues are a hot mess in the United States, the right to repair movement continues to be a singular bright spot. The more that giants like Apple, John Deere, and others try to monopolize repair (usually through obnoxious DRM, parts pairing, or legal fine print), the greater the public support for the movement seems to grow. The catch: so far only Massachusetts, New York, Minnesota, Colorado,California, andOregon have actually passed laws. And in some instances the bills have been watered down post-passage, like in New York, where Governor Kathy Hochul buckled to company lobbying to make the law much weaker while also exempting many of the most problematic industries.Elsewhere, state governments just arent really enforcing the laws so far despite no shortage of corporate violators. Reformers can correct me if Im wrong, but Ive yet to see a meaningful enforcement action against a major company in any of the states that have passed such legislation.And Id suspect that as Trump 2.0 takes aim at labor rights, civil rights, and pollution standards, most states will have their hands full facing costly legal battles across a litany of other subjects. Challenging big companies on right to repair probably wont be a high staffing or budget priority. Thats not to say the right to reform movement shouldnt be hopeful. But activists and consumers alike need to understand that getting a law passed is only the first step; theyll need to apply pressure on state officials that pass such laws, consider the issue settled, then immediately fall into a deep coma.