What The FCC’s Router Ban Could Mean for You

The U.S. government is banning the importation of new foreign-made routers, meaning consumers will no longer be able to purchase devices from many popular manufacturers. On Monday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) added all foreign-produced consumer routers to its “covered list” of communications equipment that poses an “unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or to the safety and security of American citizens.” The agency specifically cited the exploitation of foreign-made routers in the Volt, Flax and Salt Typhoon cyberattacks.

But the fact is that the vast majority of routers are manufactured overseas. So where does this leave you?

What does the FCC router ban cover?

The FCC order prohibits the importation of “all consumer routers produced in foreign countries.” While there is no list of specific companies or devices covered by this ban, it is estimated that at least 60% of home routers in the United States come from China – and almost none are made here, a notable exception being Starlink’s Wifi router. (The ban also covers routers designed by U.S. companies but manufactured abroad.)

There may be exceptions to the ban in the future, as the federal government will grant “conditional approval” to companies that provide details of their operations, including information about company structure, manufacturing and supply chains, and plans to “establish or expand” production in the United States. But that’s all up in the air at this point.

This is not the first action the federal government has taken to ban devices made by companies with foreign ties, including routers. Late last year, several agencies, including the Departments of Commerce, Homeland Security, Justice and Defense, proposed a ban on future sales of TP-Link routers following a review begun under the Biden administration. Other bans include the sale of antivirus software made by Russian company Kaspersky Labs and telecommunications devices from Huawei and ZTE. The FCC also recently banned foreign-made drones for similar safety reasons.

What the ban means for your router

The FCC’s action does not affect existing routers, so if you own a device made by a foreign company, you can continue to use it as normal. If you’re currently in the market for a new router, there’s no rush: Retailers will also continue to be able to sell and import any routers previously approved for sale through the FCC’s equipment authorization process.

However, since the ban covers the majority of companies that make routers that U.S. consumers buy, in the future you won’t be able to upgrade to a newly released device from foreign manufacturers like TP-Link and Netgear unless those models receive conditional approval from the FCC.