California Follows Europe’s Lead on USB

California would be the first state to require all laptops, phones and other electronic devices to be charged with USB-C cables under legislation a state legislative committee approved Tuesday.

The state Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection unanimously passed the bill sponsored by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D). The legislation would implement the requirement for phones and laptops manufactured on or after 2026 and require wholesalers and retailers to give consumers the option to buy an electronic product with or without a charging device. Packaging on the product would need to indicate if there is a charging device and other information.

The bill follows the lead of the European Union, which last year adopted a directive making USB-C charging mandatory for phones beginning December 2024 and all laptops beginning April 2026. India also approved similar standards last year, to be in effect by 2025. California's effort is more symbolic given the EU action is already forcing changes in the marketplace globally.

On the federal level, a trio of U.S. senators called for universal mobile device chargers last year, but there's been no follow-up legislation. Only one other state, Connecticut, has a pending bill that would mandate USB-C ports on devices, according to a Bloomberg Government analysis.

Advocates for a universal charger policy cite reducing environmental and consumer costs as primary motivations. In Europe, unused or discarded chargers make up 11,000 tons of electronic waste annually, according to the EU government, albeit a small portion of the total waste generated by electronics.

"Most Californians are no strangers to the junk drawer or bin full of miscellaneous chargers and cables caused by each device seemingly having a unique charging port," said Gabriel in a statement. "By joining the other countries that have made this change, this bill will help reduce the amount of e-waste produced by unnecessary or unused charging cables and improve the consumer experience, saving them time and money."

Giving consumers the option to buy a device with or without the charger helps further cut down on price and unused cables, supporters contend. Different USB-C cables can charge at various speeds, and thus the bill would require minimum and maximum power specifications be listed on packaging or labels to allow consumers to better understand the devices they buy.

Gabriel's bill attempts to crack down on products designed to be charged at slower rates with a Type-C charger made by another company. The bill would establish baseline standards for the power levels for high-power electronic devices.

While the bill faces little opposition, supporters of free-market principles have argued that a universal charger policy would stifle innovation. They argue that companies will no longer feel the need to develop a USB Type-D or a better charging technology.

The environmental arguments for the bill are mostly symbolic because chargers constitute a very small percentage of all e-waste, said Alex Reinauer, a tech policy research fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. In fact, such mandates could backfire and create more waste instead, he added.

"There are genuine concerns that the USB-C mandate will create more e-waste in the long run by forcing existing charging cables into obsolescence," he said. "And if lawmakers and regulators later decide that a new charging port has come about that's better, and they mandate that, all existing USB-C technology will be rendered obsolete."

The bill's requirement to give consumers the option to buy a device without a charger could contribute to more customer confusion, Reinauer added, despite power specifications being listed.

"It's going to be difficult for consumers to distinguish one USB-C cable with another when it comes down to actually plugging in their device," he said. "We shouldn't be surprised that there's a concern that if you pair kind of an overpowered USB-C charging cable with a lower voltage device, that it can actually harm the device integrity entirely."

Most phones already have transitioned or are shifting to using USB-C ports as the default. The one prominent exception was Apple Inc., which uses its proprietary Lightning connector. The company, which did not respond to a request for comment, opposed the EU's mandate when it was debated.

Apple, however, later indicated that it will shift to USB-C to comply with European law. Industry observers note that many companies are already looking to wireless charging as the next step.

In short, with India and Europe—two large markets—already mandating USB-C, California doing the same may not result in a profound shift. But it follows the pattern of the Golden State leading the way on tech issues, such as privacy rights and social media regulation.

"California has a tendency of attempting to pass regulation in the hope of it affecting the entire United States," said Reinauer.

To contact the reporter on this story: Titus Wu in Sacramento, Calif. at [email protected]

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Bill Swindell at [email protected]; Stephanie Gleason at [email protected]

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