The FCC Takes a Stand Against Foreign-Made Routers – RedState

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently announced that it would add all new foreign-made router models to its covered list. Routers that have already received authorization will not be affected. This ban will also apply to devices designed or developed in foreign countries.

Today, the FCC took additional steps to protect Americans and the communications networks we rely on.

The FCC added consumer routers produced in foreign countries to the list of products covered by the agency.

This action follows a national security determination provided by the Executive Branch… pic.twitter.com/s3OoEo5NOV

– Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) March 23, 2026

This regulatory change follows a White House decision that vulnerabilities in the supply chain of these routers could be exploited to access private data, control Internet of Thought devices (e.g., surveillance cameras), and compromise critical infrastructure. The move represents a major victory for national security, given that a significant amount of Americans’ personal information passes through these devices. Routers act as gateways to home networks. Yet there is still work to be done.

TP-Link, a Chinese maker of networking hardware and smart home technology, may be the company most affected by the FCC’s decision. TP-Link has a 65% share of the US router market. Its market share continues to grow. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) subsidizes domestic technology companies to undercut the prices of non-Chinese brands.

China’s national security laws require all domestic technology companies to hand over sensitive information to government officials. This serves two purposes: to advance China’s military capabilities and to weaken the United States internally. As expected, failure to comply with these laws results in serious consequences.

Chinese and foreign routers are also vulnerable to CCP-linked hackers. The FCC announcement states that during the Volt, Flax, and Salt Typhoon cyberattacks, state-sponsored hackers exploited vulnerabilities in these routers to embed surveillance capabilities.

To put the threat in perspective, Volt, Flax and Salt Typhoon remain active in our systems, targeting various utilities and undersea cables. It is very unlikely that these advanced persistent threat groups will be completely removed from our systems.

In 2024, Microsoft revealed that a network of compromised TP-Link routers, known as CovertNetwork-1658 or 7777 Botnet, had targeted government organizations, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and defense companies in North America and Europe with a series of aggressive password spraying attacks since 2021. This was carried out by a Chinese threat actor.

Most consumer routers are manufactured overseas, primarily in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Sellers will be able to request an exemption (conditional approval) from the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of War. This approach allows the federal government to balance security priorities with the need to support innovation and mitigate supply chain disruptions.

Netgear – a US-based company that has shifted production from China to Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam in recent years – stands to benefit the most from the ban. On Tuesday morning, following the FCC’s announcement, shares of Netgear (NTGR) jumped 12%, indicating that investors do not expect a substantial impact on the company. A Netgear spokesperson welcomed the decision, saying the following:

As an American-founded and headquartered company with a heritage of American innovation, Netgear has long invested in security-first design, transparent practices, and compliance with government regulations, and we will continue to do so.

Contrary to critics’ claims, the FCC’s ban on routers will strengthen the security and resiliency of the U.S. network by eliminating backdoors in hardware. This should have been done a long time ago. Perhaps router prices will rise in the short term, but national security is priceless. And national security is fundamental to the existence of a country.

The administration’s cyber strategy aims to protect networks from adversaries, with a focus on AI-based tools to “detect, deflect and deceive” hackers. This marks a shift from a passive approach to one integrating active deterrence and offensive operations, the private sector and common-sense deregulation. Strengthening cybersecurity in the United States is also mentioned in the 2025 National Security Strategy.

Next, the FCC must consider adopting a replacement program for all TP-Link Systems Inc products. Although the new models will not be imported into the United States without approval, several federal agencies – including NASA, the War Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration – always use these Chinese devices.

Beyond the federal government, state and local agencies also continue to use TP-Link routers. They face the same risk of hacking and sabotage from the CCP as federal agencies. The federal government must work closely with state and local authorities to address this risk and educate them about cybersecurity threats.

Finally, while the federal government is rightly focused on foreign-made devices, it should not overlook the vulnerabilities of American technology. Our adversaries will attempt to infiltrate American society by any means possible.

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