US regulator blacklists all new foreign-made routers
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WASHINGTON: The US Federal Communications Commission on Monday (Mar 23) banned authorisations for all new consumer routers produced in foreign countries, citing "national security" reasons.
The FCC noted that the blacklisting does not apply to routers already acquired by consumers, and does not prevent retailers from importing and selling routers that previously received FCC equipment authorisation.
"By operation of the FCC's Covered List rules, the restrictions imposed today apply to new device models," the commission said.
Routers are electronic networking devices through which most households, businesses and offices access the internet.
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China is estimated to control at least 60 per cent of the US market for home routers, boxes that connect computers, phones, and smart devices to the internet.
The national security determination on which the decision was based said that "allowing routers produced abroad to dominate the US market creates unacceptable economic, national security, and countersecurity risks."
The determination said that foreign-produced routers posed risks to US supply chains and create a "severe cybersecurity risk".
It said malicious actors had exploited security gaps in foreign-made routers "to attack households, disrupt networks, enable espionage, and facilitate intellectual property theft", citing their role in major hacks like Volt and Salt Typhoon.
In a statement on Monday, the FCC said that technology companies could ask for exemptions for their new router models by applying for a "conditional approval" from the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.
The conditional approval process demands detailed corporate and supply chain information, as well as a "time-bound plan to establish or expand manufacturing in the United States".
Conditional approvals would be applicable for periods of up to 18 months, the FCC said.
Lawmakers have previously raised security concerns about Chinese-made routers and Representative John Moolenaar, the Republican chair of the House select committee on China, praised the FCC order.
"Today's tremendous decision by the FCC and the Trump administration protects our country against China's relentless cyberattacks and makes it clear that these devices should be excluded from our critical infrastructure," Moolenaar said.
"Routers are key to keeping us all connected and we cannot allow Chinese technology to be at the centre of that."
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment.
Last month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued TP-Link Systems, a California-based router manufacturer spun off from a Chinese firm, for allegedly marketing its networking devices deceptively and allowing Beijing to access American consumers' devices.
TP-Link Systems said it would "vigorously defend" its reputation, adding that the Chinese government had no form of ownership or control over the company, its products or user data.
Reuters reported last month the Trump administration had put on hold a proposed ban on domestic sales of routers made by TP-Link.
In 2021, the FCC blacklisted telecommunications equipment made by several major Chinese firms over national security concerns, including Huawei and ZTE, with others added in 2022 and 2024.
In December, the FCC made a similar national security-based determination in banning drones produced in foreign countries.
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