FCC Bans Importation of Foreign-Made Consumer Routers
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recently extended its ban on the importation of foreign-produced goods to include consumer networking equipment. This follows its previous ban on foreign-made drones in December. The FCC cited “an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States and to the safety and security of American citizens” as the reason for this ban. (Source)
Implications for Current Users and Manufacturers
If you currently own a Wi-Fi or wired router, there’s no need to worry. The ban does not affect current users and companies with an existing FCC radio authorization can continue importing their approved products. However, considering the majority of consumer routers are manufactured outside the U.S., this ban effectively prohibits the importation of most future consumer routers.
Router manufacturers now face two options: either seek “conditional approval” to continue importing new products while they work towards establishing manufacturing within the U.S., or decide not to sell future products in the U.S. This is a decision that drone maker DJI has already made.
National Security Concerns
The FCC’s decision comes with a national security ruling that justifies these actions. The authorities argue that “allowing foreign-produced routers to dominate the U.S. market creates unacceptable risks to the economy, national security, and cybersecurity.” They further note that “foreign-produced routers were directly involved in the Volt, Flax, and Salt Typhoon cyberattacks that targeted critical U.S. communications, energy, transportation, and water infrastructure.”
Given the critical role of routers in the U.S. economy and defense, the FCC believes the country can no longer depend on foreign countries for router manufacturing. This is in part due to the dominance of Chinese company TP-Link, which has previously been considered for a specific ban due to national security concerns.
Debate Over Domestic Production
It’s unclear whether moving production of routers domestically could increase their security. For instance, in the Volt Typhoon hack, Chinese state-sponsored hackers primarily targeted Cisco and Netgear routers, which are designed by U.S. companies. These companies had stopped providing security updates for the specific routers targeted because they had discontinued these products.
Scope of the Ban
Although it seems like the U.S. ban applies to all “routers produced in a foreign country,” the definition is actually narrower. The ban specifically targets “consumer routers” as defined in NIST internal report 8425A, referring to those “intended for residential use and capable of being installed by the customer.”
This move by the FCC is a significant development in the realm of consumer electronics and national security. Its implications will be felt by both consumers and manufacturers alike. (Source)
