FCC Bans Imports Of New Foreign-Made Routers Over National Security Concerns; China Estimated To Control 60% Home Routers

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has ordered a ban on the import of all new foreign-made consumer routers, marking the latest escalation in Washington's crackdown on Chinese technology amid growing cybersecurity fears.

What the ban covers

China is estimated to control at least 60 percent of the US market for home routers - devices that connect computers, phones, and smart devices to the internet. The ban covers both Wi-Fi routers and those used to manage wired connections. The FCC order does not impact the import or use of existing models, but will ban new ones. Existing routers with FCC radio authorisation are also unaffected, and the current rules extend through March 1, 2027.

The agency said a White House-convened review determined that imported routers pose "a severe cybersecurity risk that could be leveraged to immediately and severely disrupt U.S. critical infrastructure." The FCC added that 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 including Volt and Salt Typhoon.

Representative John Moolenaar, the Republican chair of the House Select Committee on China, praised the order, telling WSJ, "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."

TP-Link in the crosshairs

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' data. TP-Link said it would "vigorously defend" its reputation, asserting the Chinese government had no ownership or control over the company, its products, or user data.