Colorado just passed the world’s strongest electronics right-to-repair law. Tech giants are already scheming to gut it.
Your hard-won repair freedoms—the right to fix your phone without Apple’s blessing, replace laptop parts without manufacturer markup, access diagnostic tools for your business servers—hang in the balance. Senate Bill 26-090 sits before Colorado’s Business, Labor, & Technology Committee, carrying language so vague it could exempt nearly every piece of electronic equipment from repair protections you just gained.
The “Critical Infrastructure” Loophole
Vague federal definitions create manufacturer escape hatch
SB26-090 would exempt “information technology equipment intended for use in critical infrastructure” from Colorado’s repair law. Sounds reasonable until you realize the bill references federal code so broad that your office router, hospital computer, or utility company server could qualify.
The kicker? Manufacturers get to decide what counts as “critical infrastructure” equipment. No burden of proof required. Cisco declares their networking gear too sensitive for independent repair? Exemption granted. IBM claims their servers need special protection? Welcome to the loophole.
This isn’t legislative oversight—it’s a self-executing exemption mechanism designed to restore repair monopolies through the back door.
Follow the Money Trail
Cisco and IBM lead charge to reclaim repair control
Cisco and IBM are pushing this exemption hardest, claiming cybersecurity justifies manufacturer-only repairs. The real motivation runs simpler: repair rights threaten profitable service agreements and forced equipment replacement cycles.
Under Colorado’s current law, these companies can’t monopolize parts access, diagnostic tools, or firmware updates. That shifts serious money from corporate coffers to independent shops and your wallet—an estimated $382 annual savings per Colorado household.
Remember John Deere’s dire 2023 warnings about agricultural repair “unintended consequences”? Those predictions proved completely unfounded. Same playbook, different industry.
What You Stand to Lose
Exemption could gut protections for smartphones to enterprise gear
Colorado’s law currently prohibits the repair-blocking tricks that keep you dependent on manufacturers:
- Parts pairing that prevents component swaps
- Software restrictions that lock out independent technicians
- Misleading warnings about third-party repairs
SB26-090’s exemption could recategorize vast swaths of equipment as off-limits. Business computers, telecommunications hardware, and networking equipment across government agencies, healthcare systems, and financial institutions could escape repair protections entirely.
Worse, other states are watching. If Colorado’s exemption succeeds, expect copycat bills nationwide.
Security Theater vs. Real Risk
Repair advocates challenge manufacturer safety claims
Repair organizations including Colorado PIRG, iFixit, and the Repair Association argue that restricting repairs doesn’t automatically improve security. Forcing critical systems to wait for manufacturer authorization during failures might actually increase vulnerabilities by extending downtime.
“This is the first right to repair bill that Google, Apple, and independent repair shops all agreed on,” said state Senator Jeff Bridges, the original law’s sponsor. That bipartisan consensus now faces corporate pushback disguised as public safety concern.
Your repair rights took years to win. Losing them could happen in a single committee hearing.
