PIRG’s Proctor testifies in Congressional hearing

PIRG Senior Campaign Director for the Right to Repair Nathan Proctor testified in front of the House Committee on Rules’ Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process on Wednesday. The hearing, titled “Right to Repair: Legislative and Budgetary Solutions to Unfair Restrictions on Repair,” also featured testimony in favor of the policy from New York Farm Bureau Sr. Associate Director of National Affairs Lauren Williams and Open Markets Institute Legal Director Sandeep Vaheesan.

“When something breaks, you fix it. That’s just common sense,” Proctor explained in his testimony. “But when only the manufacturer or their “authorized technician” has the necessary parts, tools or information needed, they can charge whatever they want or push you into buying a new device. These manufacturer-imposed repair restrictions affect a wide variety of products from toasters to tablets, and even tractors. The result is surging repair costs and a massive amount of waste.”

Wednesday’s congressional subcommittee hearing followed another Right to Repair hearing discussing the impacts of repair restrictions on rural communities the week prior.

#RightToRepair's second Congressional hearing in two weeks—featuring @uspirg's @nproctor—starts now! I'll be live tweeting the event. Join me in tuning in: https://t.co/F0UmgSpfpE

— Kevin O'Reilly (@kevin_oreilly7) September 21, 2022