New York State Legislation Makes Available Tools and Parts to Enable Consumer to Fix Their Own Electronic Devices

 On Dec. 28, 2022, Gov. Kathy Hochul "signed the Digital Fair Repair Act (S4104-A/A7006-B) into law making New York the first state in the nation to guarantee the right to repair, protecting consumers from anticompetitive efforts to limit repair." Full-text of the bill is available on the State Senate's website. The act takes effect one year after it became law. According to Consumer Reports, this act only applies "to digital devices that are sold or used in New York state after July 1, 2023."  So this does not, for example, apply to farm equipment, which was the subject of my last post. Yes, this legislation is a step forward, but it is only a step. We need broader right to repair guarantees.