A group of Senate Democrats is calling on the U.S. Department of Commerce to follow the example of Europe after the EU forced all smartphone manufacturers to build devices that adhere to a universal charging standard.
In a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Thursday, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) – along with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) – demanded that the department develop a strategy for requiring a common charging port on all mobile devices.
The letter comes a week after EU lawmakers reached an agreement on new legislation requiring all smartphones and tablets to be equipped with USB-C ports in the autumn of 2024.
“The EU has acted wisely in the public interest by taking on powerful technology companies on this consumer and environmental issue,” the senators wrote. “The United States should do the same.”
“This waste is pushing consumers up the wall and driving our planet further into a climate crisis”
In the letter, senators argue that proprietary chargers, such as Apple’s Lightning ports, create unnecessary amounts of e-waste and impose financial burdens on consumers who upgrade devices or own multiple devices from different manufacturers.
“Year after year, Americans are piling our obsolete chargers in landfills as we shell out more money to tech companies to get new ones,” Markey said in a statement to The Verge on Thursday. “This waste is pushing consumers to the wall and is driving our planet further into a climate crisis. I call on the Department of Commerce to follow the example of the European Union and look for solutions so that we can save our money, our common sense and our planet. “
Unlike EU law, senators do not require the Department of Commerce to encode USB-C as a universal charging standard. Rather, his request to create a “comprehensive strategy” is broader, leaving room for the department to develop its own standard. Following the EU mandate, critics argued that the rule would stifle innovation and prevent smartphone manufacturers from advancing to faster charging standards in the future.
When asked if senators were expecting a rejection from the tech industry, a Markey spokesman told The Verge: “Big Tech is allergic to regulation and we already see companies blaming EU action. Senator Markey believes that we must continue to confront this industry to ensure that its interests are not at the expense of environmental welfare and the consumer. “
Updated June 17, 2022 at 12:01 PM ET: Updated to clarify that the EU requires a common charger standard. Senators are calling on the Commerce Department to develop its own strategy.