The positives and pitfalls of Colorado’s expanded right to repair law

In 2024, Governor Polis signed House bill 24-1121, the “Consumer Right to Repair Digital Electronic Equipment” act. The bill demands manufacturers of electronic equipment provide sufficient schematics and overviews of their machinery to expand access to do-it-yourself fixes and consumer rights. The bill’s mandate officially went into effect Jan. 1, 2026, affecting all equipment sold after that date that had been produced after 2021.

KGNU’s Jack Armstrong sat down with Dr. libi rose striegl, Managing Director of Media Archaeology Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder, to learn how the right to repair being made law in Colorado has become a resource to consumers and what ways the law could be doing more for Coloradans.

This story aired on the Morning Magazine, KGNU’s weekday morning show featuring in-depth discussions on local news issues. Click here to listen to other episodes of the Morning Magazine.