The webinar, HVACR Equipment Needed for the Safe Refrigerant Transition, has been rescheduled from July 28 to August 25 at 4:00 p.m. EDT. Expert presenters will explain the equipment needed for installing and servicing products containing the new A2L refrigerants and where to obtain it. Attendees will also learn about methods for handling the new A2Ls. Please register for this webinar here.Those who previously registered for the session on July 28 are not required to reregister. Contact: Lauren Miller.

AHRI members and certification participants are reminded that annual sales volume reports are due August 13. On July 12, AHRI emailed an official request to members and certification participants regarding completion of these reports, which cover the period July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. They are necessary for AHRI to be able to correctly calculate 2022 membership dues and certification licensing fees. The request was sent to individuals in the following contact roles only: O-Rep, Dues Billing Rep, Cert Contact, Cert Billing Contact, and SV-Rep. Please be sure to whitelist noreply@ahrinet.org to ensure receipt of all communications. Contact: Accounting@ahrinet.org.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last week issued a policy statement, approved unanimously at its meeting on July 21, condemning restrictions on repair. The FTC policy states that “Restricting consumers and businesses from choosing how they repair products can substantially increase the total cost of repairs, generate harmful electronic waste, and unnecessarily increase wait times for repairs.” The new FTC policy statement comes after a 2019 workshop called “Nixing the Fix,” which sought input on the right to repair issues from stakeholders. The FTC said the outcome of this workshop and follow-up investigations revealed potentially unnecessary restrictions on repairing equipment and devices.

The FTC policy statement notes that while it has not previously made unlawful repair restrictions an enforcement policy, it will do so moving forward, such as under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. The FTC is also requesting public reports of violations of these acts, noting current law does not allow for civil penalties but that the FTC may decide to file suit against violators. Further, the FTC will scrutinize repair deals for antitrust law violations and investigate any deceptive trade practices according to the Federal Trade Commission Act.

The FTC states in their policy statement that they will consider rulemakings, if necessary, on this issue. During its vote on this policy statement, Commissioner Rohit Chopra noted the pandemic had demonstrated the importance of the problem, highlighting products from ventilators and tractors to appliances and electronic devices. Commissioner Chopra believes the FTC should go beyond ramping up enforcement by taking an interagency approach. He advises reforming government procurement processes to exclude policies that do not allow self or third-party repair and assisting federal and state policy lawmakers in expanding the authority of states and the federal government to push back on repair policies.

AHRI is engaging on this issue at the federal and state levels. The association is working with a coalition of manufacturers in opposition to broad right to repair policies due to a range of concerns and trade associations to respond to the FTC’s arguments that member repair policies are unnecessary.

The webinar, HVACR Equipment Needed for the Safe Refrigerant Transition, has been rescheduled from July 28 to August 25 at 4:00 p.m. EDT. Expert presenters will explain the equipment needed for installing and servicing products containing the new A2L refrigerants and where to obtain it. Attendees will also learn about methods for handling the new A2Ls. Please register for this webinar here.Those who previously registered for the session on July 28 are not required to reregister. Contact: Lauren Miller.

AHRI members and certification participants are reminded that annual sales volume reports are due August 13. On July 12, AHRI emailed an official request to members and certification participants regarding completion of these reports, which cover the period July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. They are necessary for AHRI to be able to correctly calculate 2022 membership dues and certification licensing fees. The request was sent to individuals in the following contact roles only: O-Rep, Dues Billing Rep, Cert Contact, Cert Billing Contact, and SV-Rep. Please be sure to whitelist noreply@ahrinet.org to ensure receipt of all communications. Contact: Accounting@ahrinet.org.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last week issued a policy statement, approved unanimously at its meeting on July 21, condemning restrictions on repair. The FTC policy states that “Restricting consumers and businesses from choosing how they repair products can substantially increase the total cost of repairs, generate harmful electronic waste, and unnecessarily increase wait times for repairs.” The new FTC policy statement comes after a 2019 workshop called “Nixing the Fix,” which sought input on the right to repair issues from stakeholders. The FTC said the outcome of this workshop and follow-up investigations revealed potentially unnecessary restrictions on repairing equipment and devices.

The FTC policy statement notes that while it has not previously made unlawful repair restrictions an enforcement policy, it will do so moving forward, such as under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. The FTC is also requesting public reports of violations of these acts, noting current law does not allow for civil penalties but that the FTC may decide to file suit against violators. Further, the FTC will scrutinize repair deals for antitrust law violations and investigate any deceptive trade practices according to the Federal Trade Commission Act.

The FTC states in their policy statement that they will consider rulemakings, if necessary, on this issue. During its vote on this policy statement, Commissioner Rohit Chopra noted the pandemic had demonstrated the importance of the problem, highlighting products from ventilators and tractors to appliances and electronic devices. Commissioner Chopra believes the FTC should go beyond ramping up enforcement by taking an interagency approach. He advises reforming government procurement processes to exclude policies that do not allow self or third-party repair and assisting federal and state policy lawmakers in expanding the authority of states and the federal government to push back on repair policies.

AHRI is engaging on this issue at the federal and state levels. The association is working with a coalition of manufacturers in opposition to broad right to repair policies due to a range of concerns and trade associations to respond to the FTC’s arguments that member repair policies are unnecessary.