Apple will fight right to repair bill being considered by 7 states

More than eight states in the United States are considering Right to Repair bills for electronic devices sold within their borders. Those states include Nebraska, Minnesota, New York, Massachusetts, Kansas, and Wyoming. But manufacturers and carriers like Apple and AT&T don’t think it’s such a good idea.

According to a report from Motherboard, Apple representatives plan to be on hand in Nebraska to tell them that repairing your phone is dangerous. Meanwhile, lawmarkers in other states like Illinois and Tennessee are actively considering similar legislation that would allow smartphone owners and third-party repair shops access to parts in order to repair their own smartphones.

An Apple lobbyist will be on hand to testify against the bill at a hearing in Lincoln starting March 9. AT&T was also reported to have been a part of arguing against this bill, but an AT&T representative reached out to state they are aware of the law but won’t be pursuing it.

“The source told me that at least one of the companies plans to say that consumers who repair their own phones could cause lithium batteries to catch fire. Motherboard is protecting the identity of the source because they are not authorized to speak to the press.”

This isn’t the first time that a manufacturer has opposed a Right to Repair bill, either. Lobbyists have said broken glass could cause cut fingers when a similar law was put forward in Minnesota last year.