A policy statement includes several specific actions FTC will take and other steps it is asking the public to take. | Alexey Kabanov / Shutterstock
The Federal Trade Commission last week pledged to heighten enforcement actions on manufacturers that block independent repair of their products.
Microsoft declined to comment on the shareholder resolution, but a company spokesperson pointed to Microsoft’s Devices Sustainability Report for the 2020 fiscal year.| Eric Glenn / Shutterstock
An advocacy group filed a shareholder resolution requesting that Microsoft study the impacts of making repair resources readily available to the public. The company hasn’t commented, but it referenced its existing efforts in the field of repair.
The executive action comes during a time of ramped-up activity in the right-to-repair realm. | Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
The White House is encouraging federal regulators to protect independent repair of consumer electronics, agricultural equipment and more, according to an executive order issued Friday.
Jim Lynch organizing discarded electronics at the TechSoup offices in San Francisco in 2016.
PlanITROI partnered with Microsoft to provide free refurbished laptops to digitally underserved students in El Paso, Texas and Memphis, Tenn. | Courtesy of PlanITROI
The nonprofit arm of ITAD firm PlanITROI partnered with Microsoft to provide hundreds of refurbished laptops to low-income students of color in Texas and Tennessee.
Proposed national legislation follows a flurry of state right-to-repair bills that were introduced this year. | EQRoy / Shutterstock
A federal lawmaker has introduced legislation requiring electronics manufacturers to provide resources facilitating independent device repair. Repair advocates say it’s the first such bill to hit the national stage.
The New York Senate approved right-to-repair legislation on the same day the state’s legislative session concluded. | Harold Stiver / Shutterstock
The New York State Senate this month voted in favor of legislation providing public access to electronic device repair tools and resources. A tight legislative timeline meant it didn’t advance further, but repair advocates called it a milestone achievement.
The company noted the investment money will be used to build and deploy thousands of automated kiosks across the U.S., Europe and Asia. | goir / Shutterstock
Mobile device collector and resale firm ecoATM Gazelle has raised $75 million to roll out its automated kiosks in more locations around the world.
Three years ago, repair advocacy group iFixit partnered with Samsung to support the Galaxy Upcycling project. | Resource Recycling file photo
Once a partner in Samsung’s “Galaxy Upcycling” project, device repair organization iFixit now says the OEM has watered down the initiative to something “nearly unrecognizable.”
The GSA said the move reduces the government’s exposure to electronics that are outdated and don’t meet current standards. | Rena Schild/Shutterstock
This story has been corrected.
The federal government plans to cease buying refurbished and used IT equipment through its main acquisition arm, the General Services Administration. The move could hurt dozens of suppliers.