FCC Blocks Foreign-Made Routers, Citing National Security Risks

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced a plan to prevent the authorization and import of new consumer routers produced outside the US, adding them to its “Covered List” of items that pose a national security risk.

This decision is a result of a government assessment that found routers produced abroad pose a critical cybersecurity and supply chain risk to US infrastructure, which has, in the past, been used in cyber incidents and could be used for network disruption, espionage, or data theft, similar to previous decisions regarding drones produced abroad.

Consumer routers produced abroad dominate the US market, with an estimated 60% produced in China, which is why this decision is considered a significant ruling for the industry. However, this ruling only applies to new devices that need FCC authorization, not previously authorized devices or routers that are already in use.

Manufacturers have the option of seeking conditional ...