Apple · CNBC Technology
From car and phone to tractor owners, a populist wave is rising to end the 'captive' repair economy
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It used to be that if your iPhone or Galaxy was damaged, you were at the mercy of Apple or Samsung to get it fixed as manufacturers snowed customers with a blizzard of unattainable proprietary parts and software diagnostics.
Key facts
- As of this year, advocates are tracking 57 right-to-repair bills across 22 states
- The largest small business lobby in the U.S., the NFIB, says 89% of its members support right-to-repair legislation, making it a top legislative priority for 2026
- The average savings for a family is estimated at $400 a year across electronics and smartphones
- Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) are unlikely political bedfellows but have joined together to sponsor the REPAIR Act
Summary
The right-to-repair movement has done something seemingly impossible: brought Republicans and Democrats together, with the movement succeeding with a wave of state laws enacted in recent years and a new push in the U.S. House and Senate. Since right-to-repair electronics legislation was passed in 2022 in New York State, the tide has been turning. As of this year, advocates are tracking 57 right-to-repair bills across 22 states. And in Ohio, polls indicate that fringe GOP candidate Casey Putsch may have no shot against establishment candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in the gubernatorial primary, but his platform includes some populist planks and economic views that tap into American unease with the economy and affordability, including his embrace of right-to-repair legislation.