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www.us-tech.com


July, 2021


U.S. Likely to Expand “Right to Repair”


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were not able to bring defective systems back to life, without pro- prietary tools. Some were stopped by software that would require special tools to unlock spare parts, or in the case of more com- plex systems, were not given the special training necessary to ac- cess internal components. Last August, U.S. Senators


introduced a bill to grant a “med- ical right to repair” for the dura- tion of the pandemic. While no for- mal legislation was passed at the Federal level, by the beginning of 2021 more than half of the 50 United States have passed or are considering legislation. “You buy a product, you own


it, and you should be able to fix it,” says Kerry Maeve Sheehan, U.S. policy lead for repair com- munity iFixit. “It’s only a matter of time before right to repair is the law of the land.” Right to repair has been


thrust into the spotlight, because of the pandemic. Now, since the topic is not Apple charging $300 to replace an iPhone screen, but rather that a lack of onsite med- ical technicians and technical re- sources eliminated essential care for patients in the U.S. during a global pandemic, the issue is be- ing more broadly recognized.


The Right to What? Lack of access to local repair


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options for many hospitals proved to be a disaster. When the manu- facturer or an authorized service provider were the only options for repair or service, consumer costs skyrocketed and the entire system


became more fragile. But, the issue is locked in a


tug-of-war between certain very large consumer electronics manu- facturers, who protect under their wings all smaller others who fall into the category of “tech,” and the U.S. federal government. There is a widespread and to-


A large portion of the EMS industry relies on handshake agreements around product recycling and repair.


tally irrational misconception that products should last forever. This stems from a fundamental misun- derstanding that a thing, though it works when it’s new, may not work when it’s old. But, when planned obsolescence is used as a tactic to ensure repeated customer interaction —in the hopes of more business — nobody wins. OEMs across the board agree


that their products are repairable, and that by restricting who does the repairs or exactly what tools must be used to repair them, they are protecting consumers’ safety, privacy and security. In fact, the vice president of


environmental affairs at the Con- sumer Technology Association, Walter Acorn has stated that most electronic devices are widely reused and recycled without any type of new repair mandate. The idea of planned obsoles-


cence as it is so called is hardly new. A quick google search will tell you it’s around 100 years old.


Continued on page 8 SCS PRECISIONCOAT V Contents


Tech-Op-Ed .......................... 4 Tech Watch .......................... 10 People................................... 12 Business News..................... 14 Business Briefs................... 15 Management........................ 16 EMS .................................... 18 Electronic Mfg. Prods........... 24 Production........................... 38 Partnering............................ 40 Distribution.......................... 42 New Products...................... 54 High-Tech Events................. 72 Editorial Calendar................ 72 Advertisers Index................. 74


Special Focus: SMT and Production............44


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