This has been achieved. The cultural phenomenon of McDonald’s broken ice cream machines is now under the watchful eye of the Federal Trade Commission.

While it would be fun to delve deeper into his involvement in some nefarious plot at McDonald’s headquarters to deny people his McFlurrys, the problem of McDonald’s chronic ice cream is grouped into a broader issue of giving to the American people. the right to repair broken technology.

According to the Wall Street Journal, we can assume that McDonald’s ice cream machines don’t break more than other places. Franchisees may not be able to repair the machines.

It is a problem that coincides with the main point of this general investigation, which is the inability to repair things such as laptops and broken phones at home or through a cheaper third party due to illegal repair restrictions.

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Now, along with an executive order from President Joe Biden, the agency issued a new policy that will force developers and manufacturers of phones, cars, washing machines and even farm equipment to publish the tools and documentation they use. fix products when they break as part of a new “right to repair” initiative. Now, attempts to fix these items outside of authorized retailers could protect consumers from things like voided warranties.

As for McDonald’s, the FTC is thoroughly investigating whether broken ice cream machines really constitute a “right to repair” issue by taking a look at vendors, types of equipment, and whether McDonald’s franchise owners can work on their own machines, according to the Wall Street Journal

“Intrinsic to interest in our soft-serve machines is our fans’ love for McDonald’s iconic McFlurry desserts and smoothies,” McDonald’s told USA TODAY in a statement. “Nothing is more important to us than meeting our high standards of food quality and safety, which is why we work with fully verified partners who can provide large-scale safe solutions reliably.”