US Senators Call for Common Charging Port for Electronics

21 JUNE 2022 - While the UK won’t follow the EU down the “one port to charge them all” path, a few lawmakers say the US should. A couple of weeks ago the European Union announced a deal to make USB-C the single charger type for smartphones and most other electronics sold across the region. The unified port plan is set to go into effect for small devices like phones, tablets, and e-readers by 2024, with bigger items like laptops getting a bit more time. Having Brexited, the UK doesn’t have to do what the EU says, and said it would not in this case. But Apple Insider says a handful of US Senators have written to the US Commerce Department urging this country along a similar path, if not the exact same path.

Democratic Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, along with Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, have sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo urging an action similar to that taken by the EU for the US. The letter leans hard on environmental concerns, cost concerns, and petty annoyances tied to proprietary plugs for various vendors, as well as moves from one connection type to another. There is one thing the letter sort of misses, though. Quoting one small portion:

Innovation should benefit consumers. It should not come at their expense, saddle them with incompatible accessories, and compel them to purchase different charging equipment for each device they own.

It seems likely that most companies would argue that changing connector types does come with benefits for consumers, from size to efficiency to functionality. I saw someone ask a couple of years ago, “what if laws like this had gone into effect when USB-A was what we had?” While the concerns raised in the letter are real, the proposal may miss the intricacies of the working tech space. And that may be why the senators have not suggested a particular port. “In contrast to the Europe strategy,” says Apple Insider, “the US senators are not necessarily calling for USB-C to be the standard.” Rather, the letter says:

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.

Would’ve been neat if they’d addressed the innovation part, too.