US agency pledges tough action to buttress ‘right to repair’

A file photo of an iPhone with a cracked screen. Responding to a new competition directive from the Biden White House, the US FTC is moving toward writing new rules aimed at helping small repair businesses and saving consumers money on repair costs. Unavailable parts, instruction manuals, design restrictions and locks on software have made many consumer products harder to fix, regulators say. — AP

WASHINGTON: Americans would be freer to repair their broken cellphones, computers, videogame consoles and even tractors themselves, or to use independent repair shops, under changes being eyed by US federal regulators.

The regulators maintain that restrictions have steered consumers into manufacturers’ and sellers’ repair networks or led them to replace products before the end of their useful lives.