Maine Legislature Talks Right to Repair
A right-to-repair bill drew mixed reactions at a Maine legislative committee hearing this week.
Advocates of the legislation said it would let Mainers have equipment serviced at lower costs. But opponents said the measure would hurt businesses that have trained repair workers and also could expose the public to security or safety hazards, Yahoo and the Portland Press Herald reported.
"What we can't support is the unchecked ability to modify equipment," Timothy Wentz, of the Northeast Equipment Dealers Association, told members of the Legislature's Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business Committee.
The proposed law would require manufacturers to provide access to software used to operate the equipment as well as specialized tools to do repairs.
Source: Portland Press Herald via Yahoo
About the Author
Frank Raczon
Frank Raczon has covered and influenced the equipment industry for 35 years, including 15 years as senior editor of Construction Equipment, and marketing, advertising, and public relations work with the industry's top manufacturers. In addition to authoring "Caterpillar: Modern Earthmoving Marvels" (Motorbooks, 2015), he has won numerous awards in his career, highlighted by nods from the Construction Writers Association, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, the Business Marketing Association, and BtoB magazine. Raczon has also won a number of awards from publishing peer groups such as ASBPE and TABPI.