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Colorado Denied Its Citizens the Right-to-Repair After Riveting Testimony:
Colorado’s proposed right-to-repair law was simple and clear. At 11 pages, the legislation spent most of its word count defining terms, but the gist was simple: It would let people fix their own stuff without needing to resort to the manufacturer and force said manufacturer to support people who want to fix stuff.
“For the purpose of providing services for digital electronic equipment sold or used in this state, an original equipment manufacturer shall, with fair and reasonable terms and cost, make available to an independent repair provider or owner of the manufacturer’s equipment any documentation, parts, embedded software, firmware, or tools that are intended for use with the digital electronic equipment, including updates to documentation, information, or embedded software,” the proposed bill said.
Right-to-repair is often spoken of in the context of broken phone screens, but it doesn’t just affect people’s personal devices. Agricultural and medical equipment are increasingly impossible to fix because manufacturers want to maintain a monopoly on repairing the product. These issues can make the right-to-repair literally life and death.
The Colorado House Business Affairs & Labor committee met to consider the law on March 25. Twelve legislators voted to indefinitely postpone considering the bill. Only one voted for it. “I still have a lot of questions. I still have a lot of concerns,” Rep. Monica Duran (D) said at the end of the committee hearing. She voted no on the bill.
[...] It was a stunning statement given just how many people testified on behalf of the right-to-repair legislation and how few questions the committee asked them.
Here's just the first of the many cases cited:
Kenny Maestas, who uses a wheelchair, drove this home in his testimony before the committee. Maestas spent a long time in the hospital and when he came home, his mobility was restricted. An electric wheelchair helped him get around, but it was broken. The right arm of the chair was broken and the battery would no longer hold a charge.
“Both my son and brothers were capable and ready to do whatever needed to get done...I called on the 14th of December,” he told the committee. “I was told the next time a tech would be in my area would be the 18th of January. As a rural resident of Colorado I’m used to a regional delay, but 35 days seemed excessive.”
Maestas said that the electric wheelchair company had the battery and spare parts on file to fix his chair, but the company’s procedure required a technician to first inspect the chair before making a repair. It was another 28 days after the tech first arrived before Maestas was mobile again. It was more than 60 days before his chair was working again.
“It’s never appropriate to make a human being with a critical care need wait over two months for a repair that could have been completed in two days,” he said. The committee asked Maestas no questions.
The story concludes:
[...] Bill sponsor Brianna Titone (D) told Motherboard she plans to keep fighting.
“I was particularly frustrated by a committee member who said they had ‘so many unanswered questions’ yet didn't ask any during the committee,” she said in an email.
[...] Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington are also considering right-to-repair laws. Colorado’s fight is a preview for what to expect as legislators prepare to consider those bills.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 07 2021, @05:27PM (17 children)
It is difficult to outspend the megacorporations we have nowadays.
Rope is still pretty cheap, though.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 07 2021, @06:10PM (16 children)
Exactly. They only respect power. Money can buy power, but it's not the only way. Politicians need to fear The People more than they fear The Suits.
(Score: 2, Touché) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday April 07 2021, @06:13PM (15 children)
Ohhhh, but, INSURRECTION!!!!
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 07 2021, @06:21PM (10 children)
Yes, it was insurrection, and no it wasn't about getting power to the people but installing a rightwing dictator that would take away even more freedoms. Or did you not pay attention to the things Cheat'olini said and did? And no, losing an election to a moderate Republican is not a valid reason to jump to the ammo box solution you traitor.
(Score: 3, Offtopic) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday April 07 2021, @06:35PM (9 children)
Let's go back to spontaneous rallies for one candidate around the country, featuring thousands and even tens of thousands of supporters. The other candidate couldn't must a dozen people in any given place.
Go ahead and make excuses for your version of reality. I'm not buying it.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Pslytely Psycho on Wednesday April 07 2021, @10:14PM (6 children)
Completely irrelevant. One parties insane public worship of a singular psychopath who's viewpoints and morals are in direct contrast to their own stated goals while excusing his behavior is just weird.
81,268,924 however, is relevent.
Go bow beneath your golden idol.
We remember your psychotic screed:
"Yes, I'd rather see twenty million dead liberals lying in the streets, than to see their progressive heros taking over this country. And, I'll willingly sacrifice five million dead conservatives and independents to put a stop to the progressives. "
Sums you up pretty well.
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday April 07 2021, @11:25PM (5 children)
Looks like the decision to blockquote and journal that long screed of his paid off! Thank you for quoting it, and please spread it around and use it lots every time this revanchist nutbar starts foaming at the mouth! It's time more people knew what they were dealing with up front here...
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Pslytely Psycho on Thursday April 08 2021, @12:48AM
Yes it did.
Notice too how he's willing to sacrifice others for his goal, but not himself.
Fucking coward.
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
(Score: 0, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 08 2021, @02:30AM (3 children)
You act like that is some sort of outrageous quote.
It's a simple matter of supporting the country. If you don't support the country, you have many others to choose from. Go. For as long as you stay here, you have a duty to support the country.
People who actually like the USA have no where else to go. We're stuck here fighting to keep turds out of the punch bowl.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 08 2021, @06:02AM (2 children)
Desiring to murder your fellow citizens over political differences is not "supporting the country" except in wacko white supremacist land.
(Score: 2) by shortscreen on Thursday April 08 2021, @04:58PM (1 child)
Interesting. So would you be opposed to, or in favor of the actions of a fellow named Abe Lincoln?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 09 2021, @04:33AM
Lincoln responded to an attack on an army fort.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Tork on Wednesday April 07 2021, @10:27PM
FTFY.
Slashdolt Logic: "25 year old jokes about sharks and lasers are +5, Funny." 💩
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 07 2021, @11:33PM
Huh
"I never liked the guy"
Followed immediately by
"ZOMG TRUMP SO MUCH MOAR POPLAR!"
You are a dullard my boy, and a nazi supporting one at that!
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday April 07 2021, @06:30PM
Slashdolt Logic: "25 year old jokes about sharks and lasers are +5, Funny." 💩
(Score: 5, Insightful) by DannyB on Wednesday April 07 2021, @08:37PM (1 child)
Here's the thing. People won't actually vote these people out. How did they get in power? And we're talking state legislators here. Not federal.
But if people get radicalized with a lie, told by the president, backed up by zero evidence, litigated in 60 cases in the hands of 80 judges, including republican judges, even Trump judges, then they will rise up and try to overthrow the government. And even literally lynch their own VP who they voted for -- over something that he doesn't even have the power to do! (specifically pick the next president) What is poor Mike Pence to do? He doesn't have the power to pick the next president, that is a Trump lie. But people wanted to hang him over something he has no control over but merely presides over.
If people would rise up half as much on real factual problems such as Right to Repair as they do over fantastical election fraud fantasies, I might have a lot more sympathy.
It is interesting how many of those poor souls now arrested realize and have admitted that they were duped. It's sad. Those are the ones I feel some sympathy for. They drank the kool aid, now realize it was a mistake. Trump didn't even give them a pardon.
The anti vax hysteria didn't stop, it just died down.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 08 2021, @02:52PM
Instead of Right to Repair they needed to call it War on Sexy Parts on TV and Save Christian Values OMFG!!
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday April 07 2021, @11:23PM
Context, Runaway. Context. The AC who replied to you earlier said it better than I was going to, so I'll just remind you that you have a serious problem with removing events from their context and comparing them in vacuum. Reality does not work this way.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...