Apple Inc. Lobbying Against ‘Right To Repair’ Proposal

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Earlier last month, it was reported that Apple is planning to oppose the “right to repair” proposal in Nebraska by sending representatives to the state. Those reports appear to be true, as the tech company has sent delegates to oppose the proposal in Nebraska.

Why is Apple opposing the “right to repair” bill?

BuzzFeed News reports that Lydia Brasch, a state senator and the sponsor of Nebraska’s Adopt the Fair Repair Act, said Apple representative Steve Kester briefed her on all the disadvantages of similar “right to repair” bills in a recent meeting. Kester, who manages all of Apple’s local and state government affairs, warned that if this legislation is passed, Nebraska will become a “Mecca for bad actors” and “would make it very easy for hackers to relocate to Nebraska.”

The “right to repair” bill would require the company to provide third-party repair shops and give consumers access to parts and service manuals. Supporters of the bill say companies like Apple are more interested in ruling over the profitable repair industry, and passing this bill would present customers several more choices and save them money. Rural areas like Nebraska do not have many Apple repair shops, forcing consumers to travel long distances to get their device serviced. It is not only time-consuming but also expensive.

On the other hand, the tech giant does not want anyone other than its authorized repair network to repair its devices. The U.S. firm argues that it wants to control and protect its various hardware platforms, and the bill, if passed, could provide hackers and other cyber-criminals hardware-level access to its devices.

Could have domino effect nationwide if passed

It is shocking that the tech giant does not like the “right to repair” bill, which is tagged LB67. The iPhone maker has opposed similar actions by the government before, saying that its devices should only be repaired or serviced by authorized technicians or repair shops. The iPhone maker is not the only company opposing LB67. Tractor maker John Deere and Samsung are also opposing the legislation.

“If LB 67 passes, Nebraska will be the first state to pass this legislation, and it would have a domino effect nationwide,” said Brasch, adding that she did not realize how important this bill is “nationally until Apple sent lobbyists to my office to oppose it.”

State houses in New York, Wyoming, Minnesota, Tennessee, Illinois and Kansas are currently pondering similar bills, reports AppleInsider.

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