According to a new FCC decision, new foreign-made consumer routers will generally be blocked unless they receive an exemption. The FCC justifies this with national security risks and points to an executive assessment that foreign-made routers pose an unacceptable risk to the USA. In the discussion, cyber attacks and espionage cases in recent years are primarily cited as a background. However, existing routers remain legal and usable, and software and firmware updates are also permitted until March 1, 2027. With new models, however, the range could become significantly smaller, more limited and more expensive. Exceptions possible – but enormous requirements
The FCC makes it clear that there are exceptions. Manufacturers can apply to be placed on an “exemption list”. In this case, safety authorities, among others, check whether the products are considered safe. In practical terms, this means: Washington decides which providers are allowed to remain on the market. However, based on the conditions known so far, this certification is extremely complex – to an extent that is likely to deter manufacturers across the board.
A central player in the debate is TP-Link. The company is named in many reports as a main target of the political campaign, although according to the summarized article, security experts have so far seen no convincing evidence that TP-Link routers are fundamentally more insecure than competing products.
The domestic market has no substitute
Reuters mentions that foreign-made routers account for around 60 percent of the US home router market. That’s exactly why the step is so momentous. The US market relies heavily on foreign-made hardware, even if the device actually has a US brand on it. The country is banning something that it cannot currently produce on a large scale. The goal is not simply to have all routers built in America immediately, but rather to politically control access to the US market in the future. At the same time, however, announcement and actual implementation often have little in common in current US policy – which is why we first have to observe how exactly the approvals will be handled in the future.
