WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Communications Commission announced it will no longer approve consumer-grade routers made outside of the United States. The commission acted after receiving a national security determination from an interagency group of security experts.

The ban will prevent foreign-made routers from being imported into or sold in the United States. Routers already approved for sale in the United States can continue to be sold, and consumers can continue using routers they previously obtained.

The prohibition applies to both United States and foreign companies that produce routers outside of the United States. Foreign production includes any major stage of the process through which the device is made, including manufacturing, assembly, design, and development.

"This action means that new models of foreign-produced routers will no longer be eligible for marketing or sale in the US. The determination included an exemption for routers that the Department of War (DoW) or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have granted 'Conditional Approval' after finding that such device or devices do not pose such unacceptable risks," said Brendan Carr, FCC Chairman.

The Federal Communications Commission updated its Covered List to include all consumer-grade routers made in foreign countries, except those that receive a conditional approval. Consumer-grade routers are defined as networking devices that are primarily intended for residential use, can be installed by the customer, and forward data packets, most commonly Internet Protocol (IP) packets, between networked systems.

"Recently, malicious state and non-state sponsored cyber attackers have increasingly leveraged the vulnerabilities in small and home office routers produced abroad to carry out direct attacks against American civilians in their homes," according to the commission.

The FCC's action affects only consumer-grade routers mainly used in homes. Router makers seeking conditional approvals must submit a justification on why any foreign-manufactured router is not currently manufactured in the United States, including why these foreign sources were selected and whether alternatives exist, and a detailed, time-bound plan to establish or expand manufacturing in the United States.

"I welcome this Executive Branch national security determination, and I am pleased that the FCC has now added foreign-produced routers, which were found to pose an unacceptable national security risk, to the FCC's Covered List. Following President Trump's leadership, the FCC will continue [to] do our part in making sure that US cyberspace, critical infrastructure, and supply chains are safe and secure," Carr said.

The Federal Communications Commission granted a waiver to previously authorized routers allowing them to receive security patches and other software and firmware updates to ensure their continued functionality until March 1, 2027. The Federal Communications Commission said it may extend the timeframe for software updates for previously authorized routers beyond March 1, 2027.

Router makers can seek conditional approvals under the same process used for the FCC ban on foreign-made drones.

"We commend the Administration and the FCC for their action toward a safer digital future for Americans," a Netgear spokesperson said. "As a US-founded and headquartered company with a legacy of American innovation, Netgear has long invested in security-first design, transparent practices, and adherence to government regulations, and we will continue to do so."

"The bigger issue is the general concept of if we don't have control over the hardware, we don't know what backdoors are being put in," said Joseph Steinberg, a cybersecurity expert. "There have been cases of poisoned hardware."