Establishes a digital electronics right to repair, which allows for digital electronic equipment and parts that are sold in this state on or after January 1, 2026, to be repaired at an independent repair provider.
S0060 creates the “Digital Electronics Right to Repair Act” in Rhode Island law. The bill would require original equipment manufacturers of digital electronic equipment sold or used in the state to make available, on fair and reasonable terms, the documentation, parts, and tools needed for diagnosis, maintenance, and repair to owners and independent repair providers. It also defines key terms such as digital electronic equipment, authorized repair provider, independent repair provider, parts pairing, embedded software, and tools, and it applies to equipment sold on or after January 1, 2026.
The bill prohibits manufacturers from using parts pairing or similar software mechanisms to block installation or operation of otherwise functional replacement parts, reduce device functionality after repair, create misleading alerts, charge extra fees for future repairs, or restrict who may buy parts or perform repairs. It also requires access to special documentation and tools needed to reset repair-related locks, while preserving anti-theft security measures and limiting the bill’s reach where parts are no longer available or trade secrets would be unnecessarily disclosed.
The bill would add a new chapter to Title 6 governing commercial law and general regulatory provisions, creating enforceable repair-access obligations for manufacturers of digital electronics sold in Rhode Island. It would give the attorney general authority to treat violations as unfair methods of competition, false advertising, or unfair or deceptive trade practices under existing consumer protection law, allowing the state to use existing remedies and penalties. The measure would affect manufacturers, authorized repair providers, independent repair shops, and owners of digital devices, while expressly preserving certain trade secret protections and warranty/recall arrangements.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the overall sentiment appears supportive of expanding consumer and independent repair access. The bill is sponsored by multiple senators and is framed as a consumer-right-to-repair measure, suggesting a policy goal of increasing repair options and reducing manufacturer control over repairs. No formal opposition is reflected in the available record, but the structure of the bill indicates an effort to balance repair access with security, trade secret, and manufacturer liability concerns.
The main points of contention likely involve the scope of manufacturer obligations and the limits on proprietary controls. Manufacturers may object to requirements to provide documentation, tools, parts, and software access on fair and reasonable terms, especially where those materials include embedded software, security codes, or repair-enabling updates. Independent repair advocates would favor the bill’s anti-parts-pairing provisions and access to repair tools, while manufacturers and authorized providers may be concerned about trade secret protection, security risks, liability for third-party repairs, and the practical burden of supporting repairs for complex digital devices.