The Right to Repair Act is scheduled for a hearing on the 28th of June in front of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection, and there is hope that it will be voted on later this year.
In addition, at the US federal government level, Congressmen Todd Platts (R-PA) and Edolphus Towns (D-NY) introduced in April the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (HR 1449) which basically covers the same ideas outlined in the Massachusetts bill above.
The AAA among others (see the list at the Right to Repair Coalition) supports Right to Repair legislation. The AAA says given the increased complexity of automobiles, especially because of their electronics, that not allowing independent service shops full and easy access to the information and diagnostics tools needed to repair cars will lead to less competition and higher car repair bills.
However, there are also many organizations who opposed the legislation as well. In Massachusetts, for instance, the Massachusetts Police Association, the National Insurance Crime Bureau and the Highway Loss Data Institute are against it. These three groups believe such a law will make it easier for thieves to access sensitive security information and steal cars.
Automobile manufacturers and dealers are also opposed for obvious reasons, and argue that for as little as $10 a day, repair shops can get the information they want on most vehicles from the non-profit National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF). Even some independent car repair shops are against it, since they have already invested in advanced diagnostic devices and see such a law as eroding their competitive edge, a Melrose Free Press article says.
Read the complete entry from Robert Charette on Spectrum Magazine