A Cell Phone Carrier Breaks With Big Telecom, Announces Support for Right to Repair Legislation

Image: Ting Big tech has spent years fighting legislation that would make it easier for consumers to repair their own electronic devices. Though they generally don’t manufacture any electronics, mobile carriers have joined the likes of Apple, Microsoft, and John Deere and have lobbied against right to repair legislation through the CTIA, a trade organization that represents Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, and other big telecom companies. But one cell phone provider has broken ranks with the rest of the industry. Ting Mobile not only doesn’t oppose right to repair legislation—it has decided to actively support it. Right to repair legislation proposed in 20 states would make it easier to fix the things you own—whether that’s a tractor, cell phone, computer, or home appliance—by requiring manufacturers to sell replacement parts and repair tools to customers. It would also require them to make diagnostic software and repair guides available to the public. “I personally find it offensive that someone would say to me, ‘Well, I’m gonna make it so that you can’t fix that thing,’” Andrew Moore-Crispin, Ting’s Director of Content, told me on a phone call. “I don’t think someone should be able to tell me I’m not allowed to. […]

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