US lawmakers call for universal charging standard - but not necessarily for USB-C

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A trio of lawmakers has called on the U.S. Commerce Department to follow Europe's lead and begin implementing a strategy to mandate a universal common charger standard -- that may not be USB-C.

USB-C charger
USB-C charger


In a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo Thursday, Democratic Senators Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders urged the department to come up with a solution for the "lack of interoperability standards for charging and other device accessories."

Earlier in June, the European Union agreed on new rules that would force smartphone manufacturers to adopt USB-C as the charging port on their devices by 2024.

"The EU has wisely acted in the public interest by taking on powerful technology companies over this consumer and environmental issue," the senators wrote in the letter. "The United States should do the same."

The senators say that non-standard chargers -- such as Apple's Lightning port -- create unnecessary amounts electronic waste. In the letter, they also claim that proprietary chargers place an unfair financial burden on consumers who switch devices or upgrade their smartphones frequently.

"We urge you to coordinate with offices and agencies across the Department of Commerce to develop a comprehensive plan that will protect both consumers and the environment by addressing the lack of a common U.S. charging standard," the senators wrote.

In contrast to the Europe strategy, the U.S. senators are not necessarily calling for USB-C to be the standard. Instead, they're urging the department to pursue a "comprehensive strategy" and come up with its own solution and standard.

Apple has reportedly been testing iPhone models with USB-C in preparation for the EU law. The company has also been rumored to be developing a port-less iPhone that relies on wireless charging and data transfers.

Is the US next to require USB-C as a charging standard? by Mike Wuerthele on Scribd

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 41
    red oakred oak Posts: 1,020member
    Proposed by the three most socialist Senators:    Warren, Sanders, and Markey

    Chance this passes:  0% 
    mike1williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 41
    It’s funny how people still don’t know the difference between socialism and communism!!
    maggot777rotateleftbytezoetmbviclauyycdewmefred1baconstangtwokatmewMplsPwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 41
    hmlongcohmlongco Posts: 456member
    Mandatory....

    MrBunsidefreediverxjas99viclauyycForumPostthtbaconstangAlex1Ntwokatmewtmay
  • Reply 4 of 41
    KuyangkohKuyangkoh Posts: 839member
    Geeeee…..we should use one car standard, too many and bad for consumers and the environment 
    viclauyycwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 41
    WHY NOT USB C! Make HDMI go away and all other ports, even ethernet should become USB C.
    thtcaladaniangrandact73watto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 6 of 41
    amar99amar99 Posts: 177member
    Talk about stifling future innovation. Wireless, or otherwise "cableless" charging? NO! USB-C only!!
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 41
    xbitxbit Posts: 379member
    Kuyangkoh said:
    Geeeee…..we should use one car standard, too many and bad for consumers and the environment 
    For charging EV cars? Yes, there definitely should be one standard.
    MrBunsidefreediverxforegoneconclusioncrowleymikeybabesfred1baconstangAlex1NuraharaMplsP
  • Reply 8 of 41
    freediverxfreediverx Posts: 1,423member
    Sanders and Warren would be considered centrists in Western Europe. Only in the American Capitalist Caliphate would they be mistaken for communist radicals. Imagine the horrors of joining the rest of the developed world in offering our citizens universal healthcare, decent wages, and quality education.
    lkruppwilliamlondonzoetmbviclauyycbbhthtXedbaconstangchaickaAlex1N
  • Reply 9 of 41
    Catch-22: in order to say that proprietary chargers are a financial burden for consumers or create too much e-waste, you would also need to be saying that consumers frequently switch between platforms...which isn't really what the EU or U.S. Congress have been saying. 
    retrogustostompybaconstangwatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 41
    Sanders and Warren would be considered centrists in Western Europe. Only in the American Capitalist Caliphate would they be mistaken for communist radicals. Imagine the horrors of joining the rest of the developed world in offering our citizens universal healthcare, decent wages, and quality education.
    The cartoon version of that same thought...


    crowleyretrogustojas99zoetmbfreediverxdewmeXedbaconstangAlex1Nurahara
  • Reply 11 of 41
    thadecthadec Posts: 54member
    It’s funny how people still don’t know the difference between socialism and communism!!
    It is funny how so many people on the left call everyone to the right of AOC a fascist.
    williamlondonjcs2305grandact73watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 41
    hammeroftruthhammeroftruth Posts: 1,232member
    It’s funny how they don’t mention by name other companies like Sony, Microsoft, John Deere, Makita, Dewalt, Ryobi, I can go on for days, but you get my point. 

    They don’t want to admit that different adapters serve their market and drive the economy. You know, the one that’s tanking right now. 

    So it’s bad that Apple and the rest of the tech market make so much money on cables and ports and adapters, but it’s good that gas can approach $7/gallon when there is no real believable explanation why. 

    Who are the real grifters here?
    baconstangwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 41
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    gas can approach $7/gallon when there is no real believable explanation why. 
    Not sure if serious.
    tmay
  • Reply 14 of 41
    When did the terms "charger" and "cable" become interchangeable? To me, the charger was always the part that plugged into the wall and provided a USB jack.
    retrogustostompybaconstangchaickaJFC_PAuraharawatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 15 of 41
    mystigomystigo Posts: 180member
    I kind of see it like regulating the width between railroad tracks. Not necessarily a bad idea. I have a mountain of obsolete cables that are almost certainly just going into a landfill one day. Probably when my wife puts them there after I am gone. Some commentors have likened this to communism. I have news for them -we regulate the width between railroad tracks -we already are communists, so there is no turning back now!
    edited June 2022 Alex1NcaladanianMplsPwatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 16 of 41
    freediverxfreediverx Posts: 1,423member
    mystigo said:
    I kind of see it like regulating the width between railroad tracks. Not necessarily a bad idea. I have a mountain of obsolete cables that are almost certainly just going into a landfill one day. Probably when my wife puts them there after I am gone. Some commentors have likened this to communism. I have news for them -we regulate the width between railroad tracks -we already are communists, so there is no turning back now!
    The difference is that we don’t have rapidly evolving innovation in the realm of railroad tracks. If we’d had a government-mandated charging standard years ago, we’d all be using micro-USB right now.

    I actually want USB=C to replace Lightning, but I don’t want some government bureaucracy of technologically illiterate septuagenarians to decide that.
    edited June 2022 Spitbathjas99stompybaconstangtommytallboyuraharafirelockwatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 17 of 41
    lmasantilmasanti Posts: 163member
    Wouldn't it be nicer if those lawyers with Sentor's titles will put all their energy to streamline th ful Standard Essential Patents's system?

    Of course the laws on SEP where made by lawyers —money for them—, all the litigations also means money for lawyers… 

    And who pays for all that money? Customers!
    baconstangchaickawatto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 41
    coolfactorcoolfactor Posts: 2,035member
    If electronic waste is the problem, then I don't see how a universal connector will help.

    What they should be focusing on is manufacturing regulations, requiring all cables and connectors be designed in a way that is fully recyclable. Smartphone chargers are just one category of electronics, so targeting that segment won't really help in the global sense. Controlling materials and manufacturing processes across many segments will help, though.
    foregoneconclusionstompythtbaconstangchaickaAlex1Ntommytallboybeowulfschmidtwatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 41
    jas99jas99 Posts: 132member
    I love Bernie, but he’s dead wrong on this. 

    Let companies decide how to design their products.

    Period. 
    ioniclewilliamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 41
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,641member
    Kuyangkoh said:
    Geeeee…..we should use one car standard, too many and bad for consumers and the environment 
    We definitely should have been using a single standard for EV charging ports.  It’s insane that there aren’t.  It’s like having different sized gas spouts in cars. 
    thtbaconstangAlex1NcaladanianMplsPgrandact73watto_cobrajony0
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