Sponsors (2)
The bill expands repair access for mobility-device users and legal certainty for independent repairers—improving independence and lowering repair costs—at the cost of increased security/safety risks, potential higher device prices, and legal/enforcement trade-offs for manufacturers and regulators.
People with disabilities and device owners gain faster, lower-cost, and more reliable repairs because technicians can bypass digital locks for diagnosis and OEMs must provide parts, manuals, firmware, and lock-reset tools, reducing downtime and improving independence.
Small repair businesses and independent technicians get clear legal permission to make and sell diagnostic tools and replacement components, increasing competition and likely lowering repair prices for consumers.
People with disabilities and consumers benefit from stronger oversight because FTC enforcement and state attorney-general authority create mechanisms to hold manufacturers accountable and increase the likelihood of compliance or remedies.
People with disabilities and device owners face increased risk that unauthorized access or misuse of device software or security-bypass tools could compromise safety, device integrity, or void warranties.
Taxpayers and device purchasers may face higher costs because manufacturers could lose proprietary software revenue and incur new compliance costs, potentially reducing investment in support and raising prices for new devices.
People with disabilities and owners could still be left without repairs when OEMs legally withhold obsolete parts or limit disclosures as allowed by the bill, leaving some devices effectively unrepairable despite the mandate.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Allows circumvention of software locks for repair of powered mobility devices and requires OEMs to supply parts, tools, firmware, and documentation to owners and independent repairers on fair terms.
Official title: To amend title 17, United States Code, to provide an exception for circumvention for the diagnosis, maintenance, or repair of a powered mobility assistance device, to require original equipment manufacturers of powered mobility assistance devices to make available certain documentation, diagnostic, and repair information to independent repair providers and consumers, and for other purposes.
Introduced August 26, 2025 by Maxwell Frost · Last progress August 26, 2025
Creates a statutory right-to-repair for motorized wheelchairs, mobility scooters, powered prosthetics/wearable robotic devices, and similar powered mobility assistance devices. It allows owners and independent repairers to bypass software locks for diagnosis and repair, requires manufacturers to provide parts, tools, documentation, and security-reset capabilities on fair terms, and gives the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general authority to enforce the law. The bill adds a copyright anti-circumvention exception for repair of powered mobility assistance devices, sets notice and request-process requirements for manufacturers (with an initial 90-day compliance window), and authorizes the FTC to issue regulations and enforce civil remedies for violations.