FCC Says Foreign-Made Routers Can Get Updates Until 2029

The FCC has softened its ban on foreign-made consumer routers, allowing vendors to keep issuing broader software and firmware updates for devices already in use in the U.S. through at least January 2029. Dark Reading reports: Under the original FCC ruling, foreign manufacturers were permitted to provide only limited maintenance and security patches to US customers through March 2027. In a public note (PDF) on May 8, the FCC extended that deadline to at least January 2029 and also expanded the scope of permissible updates. The FCC will now allow foreign manufacturers to provide not just minor security fixes and changes, but also more major software and firmware updates that could affect router functionality, which previously required additional FCC review. The agency described the revisions as intended to ensure the continued safety of already deployed foreign-made consumer routers in the US. "The FCC likely issued this revision in response to the operational realities of network security and the slow pace of equipment replacement," says Jason Soroko, senior fellow at Sectigo. "Replacing millions of embedded devices across national infrastructure requires immense time and capital, and abandoning existing systems to a completely unpatched state would create an immediate vulnerability." "This waiver significantly alleviates the most pressing fears tied to the initial ban by preventing a sudden and dangerous security vacuum," added Soroko.