By Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Mac computer and iPhone maker Apple on Tuesday will announce plans to make parts, tools and documentation needed to repair its products available to independent repair shops and consumers nationwide, at fair and reasonable prices, the White House said.
National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard made the announcement in remarks prepared for a White House event later Tuesday focused on the so-called “right to repair,” calling on Congress to pass legislation requiring such action across the country.
The event is part of U.S. President Joe Biden’s push to promote competition and crack down on so-called junk fees and other actions that increase prices for consumers. The latest effort is aimed at giving consumers more control over fixing what they own, from tractors to smart phones.
Brainard said California, Colorado, New York and Minnesota had already passed right to repair laws, and 30 other states had introduced similar legislation.
She said Apple supported a nationwide law and had endorsed the California law – which requires companies to make the parts, tools and documentation needed for repairs of consumer electronic devices and appliances available to independent repair shops and consumers at fair and reasonable prices – and would do the same nationwide.
Apple was once a target of criticism for right-to-repair advocates who said its sleek devices were difficult to fix and that the company provided little support for doing so. But in recent years, Apple executives have begun touting the longevity and resale value of its devices while making it easier to fix them and to access spare parts.
Apple started distributing parts and manuals to some independent repair shops in 2019. In August, Apple came out in support of right-to-repair legislation in its home state of California.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Additional reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
