FCC Bans Foreign-Made Routers: What Consumers Need to Know

The Federal Communications Commission has banned the import of new consumer internet routers manufactured outside the United States, citing national security concerns. The ban, announced Wednesday, does not affect routers already in use in American homes or those currently for sale, but requires all new routers intended for the consumer market to undergo an approval process.

While the immediate impact on consumers remains to be seen, the move signals a significant hardening of cybersecurity standards for home networks. The FCC cited instances of foreign-made routers being exploited in cyberattacks targeting US infrastructure, including the Volt, Flax, and Salt Typhoon attacks. “Malicious actors have exploited security gaps in foreign-made routers to attack American households, disrupt networks, enable espionage, and facilitate intellectual property theft,” the FCC wrote in its order.

The ban adds consumer routers to the FCC’s “Covered List,” which identifies equipment and services “deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States.” Manufacturers can apply for exemptions through a process involving scrutiny from the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security, requiring detailed information about ownership, board membership, and the origin of components. The application process too requests a plan for onshoring manufacturing to the US.

According to an FCC spokesperson, no routers or manufacturers have yet been granted Conditional Approval. The agency anticipates approvals will be granted “in a timely manner,” but the timeline remains uncertain.

The scope of “foreign-made” remains somewhat ambiguous. The FCC’s FAQ clarifies that a router assembled in the US using foreign-made components is not automatically considered “covered,” but manufacturers will need to demonstrate the origin of their products and components. This impacts nearly every major brand, including Netgear, TP-Link, Asus, Amazon’s Eero, Google’s Nest, Synology, Linksys, and Ubiquiti, as well as routers provided by internet service providers.

TP-Link, which manufactures all its routers overseas, will be required to seek Conditional Approval or establish US-based manufacturing to continue selling new routers in the US. The company controls roughly 35 percent of the US consumer router market, with Netgear and Asus accounting for another 25 percent combined. TP-Link has been under investigation by the Commerce, Defense, and Justice departments for over a year regarding its ties to China, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit in February alleging the company allows the Chinese Communist Party access to American consumers’ devices. TP-Link has denied these allegations, stating it has divested from its Chinese roots and is now headquartered in the US with manufacturing primarily in Vietnam.

Netgear, while US-founded and headquartered, manufactures its routers primarily in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Taiwan. The company has been lobbying the government on cybersecurity and strategic competition with China and has welcomed the FCC’s decision as a step toward a safer digital future. Netgear’s stock rose following the announcement, suggesting investor confidence in its ability to navigate the new regulations.

Asus primarily manufactures its routers in Taiwan, with some production in China and through third-party manufacturers. The company has diversified production to Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mexico, and the Czech Republic in response to tariff pressures.

Currently, Starlink Wi-Fi routers, manufactured by SpaceX in Texas, are among the few routers made in the US, though they still rely on components sourced from East Asia. Cybersecurity firm Bitdefender’s director of Threat Research, Bogdan Botezatu, emphasized that a strong security model, including long-term firmware support and vulnerability management, is more critical than the geographic location of manufacturing.

IDC research manager Brandon Butler predicts the ban could disrupt the US consumer router market, potentially leading to supply constraints and price increases. He noted that the speed of Conditional Approval processing will be a key factor in mitigating these effects.

The FCC’s FAQ addresses the question of foreign-made components, stating that a device does not turn into “covered” simply because it contains a “covered” component, unless that component is a modular transmitter. This suggests that routers assembled in the US with foreign-made components may not be subject to the ban.

The FCC has not addressed questions regarding why the ban is limited to consumer routers, or why existing foreign-made routers currently on sale are deemed safe. The agency also remains silent on the criteria for granting Conditional Approvals and the potential impact on consumers.