FTC gets started on Biden’s competition wish list

WASHINGTON: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission voted on Wednesday to follow up on President Joe Biden’s competition executive order with a vote that will make it a priority to address the issue of manufacturers pushing consumers to use licensed dealers for repairs of smartphones to farm equipment.

Like the right-to-repair issue, virtually every one of the dozens of items on the White House antitrust to-do list has a long history, whether it be complaints by industry stakeholders or consumer advocates.

RIGHT TO REPAIR: Biden’s executive order encourages the FTC to create rules that stop companies from barring consumers from fixing their own products or taking them to an independent repair shop.