[Themaintainers] Maintainers: Stand up for Right to Repair

[Kevin O'Reilly]

Dear Maintainer,

As the Maintainers help us so powerfully assert, our system now is skewed
to extractive innovations. But maintenance is what people actually need.
This ethic is at the center of the Right to Repair campaign, which I work
on with U.S. PIRG, and was a topic at Maintainers III.

For example, 72% of the average smartphone's global warming potential
<https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57d64e6629687f1a258ec04e/t/5d80f3f070535913fd92b90f/1568732147681/Coolproducts+briefing.pdf>
comes
from non-use phases, yet we throw away 416,000
<https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2018/12/11/right-to-repair-nathan-proctor> of
them each day in the US.

Instead of throwing away these phones, we should be fixing them. But
manufacturers of everything from consumer electronics to home appliances to
farmers' tractors refuse to provide the public with the parts, tools, and
information necessary to repair.

Right to Repair reforms
<https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/7/3/18761691/right-to-repair-computers-phones-car-mechanics-apple>
are
essential to providing people with what they need to repair and maintain
their things, keeping waste out of landfills and precious natural resources
in the ground.

Support for this campaign is building in all corners of our society.
Farmers, electronic repair technicians and engineering professors are
banding together to urge our decision makers to pass legislation.

*So far, over 100 professors of engineering and related fields have signed
our letter calling for Right to Repair reforms. Our letter includes
instructors and researchers from institutions all over the country,
including MIT, Purdue, and Stanford. Will you join them? Sign the letter
today
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12nwdNRxaAfQBjNLleT9SgyF7mQVot5ZyWn_VN7P7X7Y/edit>.*

Thanks for your support,
Kevin
--
Kevin O'Reilly
Right to Repair Advocate
U.S. PIRG <https://uspirg.org/feature/usp/right-repair>
t: @kevin_oreilly7 <https://twitter.com/kevin_oreilly7>
(617) 286-4658

=========LETTER TO SIGN===========

Dear legislator,



As researchers exploring the future of technology and professors teaching
the next generation of engineers, product designers and technicians, we
want to express support for Right to Repair. These reforms require access
to parts and information necessary to repair modern devices.

Right now, companies can design products with digital locks against any
repair, refuse to sell spare parts, and deny access to basic repair
information, all of which is a drastic shift from previous practices. These
actions can effectively force all repair services to go back to the
manufacturer
or their authorized service providers.

Reducing barriers to repair and repair information has many benefits:

Repair Inspires Love of Technology

Many in our field first discovered their love of technology by taking apart
and putting back together their radios, television sets, and cars. This
process is necessary to learn how devices work, but digital locks prevent
us and our students from repairing modern devices.

Repair Information Aids Research

Innovation comes from the investigation of individual technologies as well
as the interaction between different devices. Publicly available service
information allows researchers to develop a comprehensive understanding of
current technology.

Repair Information Aids Lab Instruction

Technology is critical to both the instruction and research that we carry
out in the lab. It’s becoming more cumbersome and expensive to fix our
equipment.

Durable, Repairable Devices are Critical for a More Ecological Future

Creating a more ecological future starts with the design and production of
durable and repairable devices today.

Tinkering and Repurposing Lead to Innovation

Not all innovation takes place in formal conditions like the classroom or
the lab. A robust repair ecosystem helps people understand and improve
technologies, and leads to new innovations.



Sincerely,

*Your Name*
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