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From smartphones to tractors, lawmakers push for 'right to repair' high-tech stuff

The cabin of a modern combine shows multiple electronic devices, screens and other hi-tech tools.
SOPHIE-CARON
/
iStock
A farmer in Saint-Simon, Quebec, harvests soybeans in October 2019. The technology and software in smartphones, medical devices, tractors and other items is the focus of two bills in the State House looking to ensure an individual's 'right to repair.'

High-tech computer chips and software are now in everything from coffee makers to cars and tractors. But when that technology breaks or the software glitches, are you able to fix it? We'll talk with a lawmaker pursing 'right to repair' laws to make it easier for individuals and repair shops to do the work.

Our guests are:

  • Rep. Katherine Sims, a primary sponsor for two bills addressing 'Right to Repair' laws in Vermont
  • Tommy O'Connor, executive director for the Vermont Farm Bureau

Broadcast live on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or tweet us @vermontedition.

Connor Cyrus joined Vermont Public as host and senior producer in March 2021. He was a morning reporter at WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island. A graduate of Lyndon State College (now Northern Vermont University), he started his reporting career as an intern at WPTZ, later working for WAGM in Presque Isle, Maine, and WCAX Channel 3, where he covered a broad range of stories from Vermont’s dairy industry to the nurses’ strikes at UVM Medical Center. He’s passionate about journalism’s ability to shed light on complex or difficult topics, as well as giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Originally from Delaware, Matt moved to Alaska in 2010 for his first job in radio. He spent five years working as a radio and television reporter, radio producer, talk show host, and news director. His reporting received awards from the Alaska Press Club and the Alaska Broadcasters Association. Relocating to southwest Florida, he was a producer for television news and NPR member station WGCU for their daily radio show, Gulf Coast Live. He joined Vermont Public in October 2017 as producer of Vermont Edition.