GoKawiilThe debate over right-to-repair doesn't only apply to electronics. Today, the US Federal Trade Commission announced that, alongside five states, it has reached a settlement with Deere & Company, the manufacturer of John Deere farm equipment. The regulator sued Deere last year on allegations that the company engaged in unfair practices that limited farmers' ability to repair their own equipment. Those policies required equipment owners and independent repair providers to pay higher prices for any needed services.
Under the terms of the settlement, for the next 10 years, Deere will be required "to provide farmers and independent repair providers with the same equipment repair resources, including applicable software capabilities, that it currently provides to authorized Deere dealers." The company will also be subject to reporting and oversight requirements, and the initial decade-long agreement could be extended if it breaks the terms.
US PIRG Senior Right to Repair Campaign Director Nathan Proctor issued a statement about the result. "We should be able to fix our own stuff. This settlement from the FTC gives farmers more and better options to repair their equipment. It is a win for farmers and all of us who want a more fixable world," he said. "Our goal from the start of our campaign was to ensure that farmers and independent mechanics get everything they need to fix equipment. We will continue to monitor the situation and advocate to ensure that goal is a reality."
In light of the skyrocketing costs of build new tech, with prices unlikely to drop any time soon, the vision of a more fixable world sure sounds like a good one.