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FCC blocks future imports of foreign-made consumer routers

Mar 23rd 2026 ยท United States

The Federal Communications Commission has added consumer-grade routers made outside the United States to its Covered List, preventing new foreign-made devices from receiving FCC radio authorization and import while allowing already authorized products to remain available.

  • FCC added consumer-grade routers made abroad to its Covered List, stopping future radio authorizations and imports of those devices.
  • Devices that already have FCC radio authorization and routers already in use can remain on the market and in customers' homes.
  • Manufacturers can apply for conditional approval while they work to demonstrate they will move production to the United States.
  • The FCC cited a National Security Determination that named economic, national security, and cybersecurity risks and referenced the Volt, Flax, and Salt Typhoon attacks.
  • The policy applies to consumer-grade routers as defined in NIST Internal Report 8425A, not to all router categories.
  • Because most consumer routers are manufactured abroad, the rule will effectively bar many future models from the US market and may prompt some companies to stop selling new products in the United States.

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