Relative to consumer connected devices
This bill creates a new chapter in the Massachusetts General Laws regulating “connected consumer products,” meaning consumer devices that connect to the internet directly or indirectly, including associated apps and cloud infrastructure. For products manufactured on or after January 1, 2026, manufacturers would have to disclose a minimum guaranteed support period for technical support, security updates, and bug fixes. The disclosure would need to be provided at the point of sale where practicable, on packaging, and on the manufacturer’s website or product-specific webpage, and it must state either the end-of-life date or the length of support from the date of sale.
The bill also prohibits manufacturers from shortening the disclosed support period after sale, while allowing them to extend it. At least six months before end-of-life, manufacturers must notify consumers and explain what features will stop working and what cybersecurity, interoperability, or performance issues may result. The bill further places obligations on internet service providers that supply or lease connected consumer products, requiring them to ensure continued security updates for products still in active deployment or to replace end-of-life products at no cost with comparable devices that can still receive updates.
The bill would add a new consumer-protection chapter to the General Laws and make violations enforceable as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under chapter 93A. That means the Attorney General could enforce the law using existing consumer protection authority, and affected consumers could sue for damages, attorney’s fees, and injunctive or declaratory relief. The measure would affect manufacturers of internet-connected consumer devices, as well as ISPs that lease or supply such devices, by imposing product-support disclosure, notice, and replacement obligations.
No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so there is no documented legislative debate or recorded vote sentiment to assess. Based on the bill text alone, the proposal appears consumer-protection oriented and aimed at improving transparency, cybersecurity, and product longevity for connected devices. The structure of the bill suggests a policy focus on preventing consumers from being left with unsupported devices and on ensuring they are warned before products lose security support.
The main likely points of contention are the compliance burdens and cost implications for manufacturers and internet service providers, especially the requirement to disclose support periods, provide advance end-of-life notices, and potentially replace leased devices at no cost. Another possible issue is the scope of the bill’s application to hardware, firmware, software, apps, and cloud infrastructure, which may be viewed as broad and potentially difficult to administer. Supporters would likely emphasize consumer protection, cybersecurity, and transparency, while opponents may argue the mandates could increase product costs or discourage device offerings in the state.