Imports of New Foreign-Made Routers Banned by FCC

The Federal Communications Commission has effectively banned new imports of consumer-grade routers produced in foreign countries following a determination that they pose safety and security risks.

Routers connect computers, phones, and smart devices to the Internet, and according to the FCC a majority of the routers currently in U.S. homes and businesses are manufactured in foreign countries. However, the FCC states, an “interagency body with appropriate national security expertise” has determined that foreign-produced routers (1) introduce a supply chain vulnerability that could disrupt the U.S. economy, critical infrastructure, and national defense, and (2) pose a severe cybersecurity risk that could be leveraged to immediately and severely disrupt U.S. critical infrastructure and directly harm U.S. persons. An FCC fact sheet asserts that “malicious actors have exploited security gaps in foreign-made routers to attack American households, disrupt networks, enable espionage, and facilitate intellectual property theft.”

As a result, the FCC has added foreign-produced routers to its Covered List, which lists communication equipment and services determined to pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or the security and safety of U.S. persons. Such routers are therefore banned from receiving new FCC equipment authorizations, which are required prior to importation, marketing, or sale in the U.S.

This action does not prohibit the import, sale, or marketing of any router models previously approved through the FCC’s equipment authorization process, and such routers may continue to receive software and firmware updates that mitigate harm to U.S. consumers at least until March 1, 2027.

In addition, there is an exemption from the import ban for routers that the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security have granted conditional approval after finding that they do not pose unacceptable risks. Producers of consumer-grade routers may submit applications for such approval.