Right-to-repair legislation is gaining momentum and new support is emerging across the United States. Not only has Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak expressed support for the regulation, but the Biden administration also appears to support the legislation (PCMag, eTeknix).

In case you haven't seen the publicity yet, the right to repair essentially forces technology manufacturers to make parts more accessible to the public. Rather than sending the equipment to the manufacturer for repair, repair stores and users unaffiliated with the manufacturer would be free to tinker with the equipment. It would also reduce the number of consumers who throw away easily repairable gadgets, thereby reducing waste and spending on new technology.

However, the right to repair is not without risk. Improperly installed components such as batteries can cause harm (Bloomberg), there is an increased risk of identity theft (Electrek), and for those with a stake in the industry itself, open sourcing means releasing the blueprints.

The scope of technology covered by the right to repair would vary from place to place, but the law is such that it could lift the stifling rules some tech companies have set regarding informal repairs. Apple, for example, is notorious for these kinds of restrictions and is therefore one of the companies most ardently opposed to this law (BBC).

Ever since Apple abolished things like Apple 2, if your device broke, your only option was to have it repaired at an Apple-approved store or by an official Apple "Genius". But with the recent Covid-19 craze, the high street has seen everything but abandonment, and Apple repairs have ended up with something like an eight-week long waiting list, says Laptop Mag.

Who's going to wait that long for a phone repair?

The solution, obviously, is to switch to Android. Failing that, the Right to Repair Bill should ease some of the pain caused by Apple.

With legislation passed in the UK and parts of Europe, the Right to Repair is now gaining support across the US. Many states, including Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and Oregon, are expanding their stance on routine technical repairs.

Steve Wozniak makes his views on the issue clear in a reply to right to repair activist Lewis Rothman on Cameo, in which he urges the industry to meet a more open technological future. Wozniak notes, "If I hadn't grown up in a very open technology world, there would be no Apple." 'Now is the time to more fully recognize the right to repair.' It's time to start doing the right thing!"

Wozniak no longer has much influence within Apple, despite still being paid, but with his backing, as with the Biden administration, we may be one step closer to a more open source technology future.