Following the ban on foreign-made drones back in December, the Federal Communications Commission is now going after a device that is in almost all homes.
The commission is going after all foreign-made consumer routers. Don’t worry though, the router already in your home, despite its origins, is safe.
Considering that 96 percent of Americans use the internet, and routers serve as the primary means for internet access, the development is a significant one. It marks the latest crackdown on Chinese-made electronic gear over security concerns, as reported by Reuters.
In its official notice, the FCC explained its stance by saying:
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. From disrupting network connectivity to enabling local networking espionage and intellectual property theft, foreign-produced routers present unacceptable risks to Americans. Additionally, routers produced abroad were directly implicated in the Volt, Flax, and Salt Typhoon cyberattacks which targeted critical American communications, energy, transportation, and water infrastructure. Routers in the United States must have trusted supply chains so we are not providing foreign actors with a built-in backdoor to American homes, businesses, critical infrastructure, and emergency services.
Even American companies face the ban
The change in rule applies regardless of where the company is based. So, for example, a US-based company like Google will not be allowed to import its Nest routers if they’re manufactured on foreign soil.
It’s worth noting that some routers “produced” in foreign countries will be allowed to be imported to the US, albeit only after said company has been granted a conditional approval by the DoW (Department of War) or the DHS (Department of Homeland Security). The FCC has a link to find companies that have gained said ‘conditional approval,’ and as of today, it only lists a few drone-related companies.
Also worth noting is that the change will have no impact on your existing routers. You can keep using them until their relevant life/update cycle. Retailers can continue selling the stock that’s already clear, and you can go and pick up a foreign-made router from your local Best Buy.
However, once that stock runs out, they will not be replaced by newer foreign-made versions. Shifting manufacturing to the US will not be cheap, so expect big router companies to prove that their devices pose no safety risk to land on the conditionally approved list.
You can read the complete FCC public notice here.
