GoKawiilIn an unprecedented move, the Federal Communications Commission announced on March 23 that it will be banning the sale of new foreign-made Wi-Fi routers going forward, citing "unacceptable risks" to national security.
The ban doesn't apply to any existing routers that the FCC has already authorized, so you don't need to rush out and replace your router immediately. If you were thinking about buying a new router soon, I'd hold off until we learn more about how the ban shakes out.
The order currently applies to any new models “produced in foreign countries.” Router manufacturers can apply for an exemption, but so far, none have been granted "Conditional Approval" on the FCC’s website.
This is a monumental development for the domestic Wi-Fi router market. With the exception of newer Starlink routers, nearly every router available for purchase in this country is at least partially manufactured outside the US, including TP-Link, Asus and Netgear. An estimated 60% of routers in the US are manufactured in China.
According to a list of FAQs published by the FCC, a router will be considered foreign-made if “any major stage of the process through which the device is made, including manufacturing, assembly, design and development” occurs outside the US.
“Following President Trump’s leadership, the FCC will continue do our part in making sure that US cyberspace, critical infrastructure and supply chains are safe and secure,” said FCC Chair Brendan Carr in a statement.
When CNET reached out to the FCC for more clarity on the order, we were referred to the commission's "Covered List" FAQ page.
The FCC says that routers produced abroad were “directly implicated” in the Volt, Flax and Salt Typhoon cyberattacks. The Salt Typhoon attack specifically exploited Cisco routers to gain access to the networks of US internet providers like AT&T, Verizon and Lumen, which owns CenturyLink and Quantum Fiber.
“This is using an extremely blunt instrument, and it’s going to impact many harmless products in order to stem a real problem,” William Budington, a technologist for the digital rights nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation, told CNET. “This takes place in the context of mass defunding of cyberdefense initiatives. There's a lack of a good federal testing lab for consumer grade routers due to budget cuts.”
This doesn’t mean you have to replace your existing router: The FCC clarified that the ban doesn’t apply to routers already purchased. However, you won’t be able to buy new routers that the FCC hadn’t already authorized before the ban.
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