ATLANTA – A measure that would require manufacturers to disclose product information to customers trying to fix – or pay someone else to repair – their cellphone, tractor, washing machine or other high-tech devices has run into fierce opposition at the state Capitol.

Rep. Scot Turner, a Republican from Holly Springs, has pitched the measure – which he calls the “Right to Repair Act” – as a rural jobs plan that would enable more entrepreneurs to fix digital devices that might otherwise end up in a landfill.

Turner argues the proposal addresses an emerging private property rights issue. Similar legislation has been filed in more than a dozen other states.

“Once you purchase something – and you own it – you should be allowed to do three things specifically and that’s maintain it, diagnose it and repair it,” Turner said to his colleagues Monday.

Proponents of Turner’s bill say that isn’t possible for many consumers, particularly those who live beyond the state’s urban centers. And some manufacturers, they say, limit the ability of consumers and others to make repairs.

Gadson Woodall, who is the owner of Mr. Fix It repair shops, including two in Valdosta, said Apple released an update a few years ago that disabled third-party fixes. Woodall’s shops were inundated with calls from frustrated customers whose screens he had repaired.

“We had to do countless refunds and put broken, original screens back on people’s devices so they would work,” Woodall said. “It was a mess – a brief mess – but there is anxiety every day that we’re going to wake up with a new software update and something else is disabled.”

Woodall, whose business employees 15 people, said he wants to be able to access a manufacturer’s diagnostic tools and repair manuals. The nearest Apple store, he noted, is an hour and a half away from Valdosta.

“We just want to be able to provide better repair for everybody,” Woodall said. “We do the best that we can right now but it’s not up to the manufacturer’s standards because we don’t have access to the manufacturer’s standards.” 

But the measure that would give Woodall access to those tools and information has likely stalled for this year. With a key deadline quickly approaching Thursday, Turner has not been able to advance the bill through committee. He said Monday he anticipated the resistance and will reboot the proposal again next year.

Opponents include the powerful Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Association of Manufacturers and several trade associations that represent tech companies.

They argue that the proposed changes are overreaching and would threaten the safety and security of consumers, who they say can already find a specially trained repairman, while potentially exposing a company’s trade secrets.

“We believe those discussions need to be had in the free market between businesses and those who buy those materials from them,” said Cosby Johnson, a lobbyist with the chamber.

Supporters include environmentalists, repair shop owners and the Georgia Farm Bureau.

“We can, and we should, reduce waste by making it easier to repair our stuff,” said Jennette Gayer, director of Environment Georgia, who said electronic waste is the fastest growing waste stream.

But in the end, Turner could not win over his conservative colleagues.

“I know you’re a man of less government,” Rep. Sam Watson, a Republican from Moultrie, said to Turner. “So why are we getting involved in telling private industry what they can and can’t do?”

Turner’s response: “I believe there’s a fundamental role for government in protecting the individual rights of every person.”

Jill Nolin covers the Georgia Statehouse for the Valdosta Daily Times, CNHI’s newspapers and websites. Reach her at jill.nolin@gaflnews.com