Advanced Television

US bans new foreign-made routers

March 24, 2026

The US has moved to ban new foreign-made consumer internet routers citing national security concerns.

The decision, announced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), adds consumer-grade routers manufactured outside the US to its list of restricted equipment, placing them alongside foreign-made drones, which were outlawed at the end of 2025.

“Malicious actors have exploited security gaps in foreign-made routers to attack American households, disrupt networks, enable espionage, and facilitate intellectual property theft,” the FCC said.

While people will still be able to use foreign-made routers they already own, the ban applies to all “new device models.”

Any new router made outside the US will now need to be approved by the FCC before it can be sold in the country. In order to get that approval, companies manufacturing routers outside the US must apply for conditional approval in a process that will require the disclosure of the firm’s foreign investors or influence, as well as a plan to bring the manufacturing of the routers to the US.

Certain routers may be exempted from the list if they are deemed acceptable by the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security, the FCC said. Neither agency has yet added any specific routers to its list of equipment exceptions.

The ban stems from growing concern over the last year that routers were a point of easy-access for malicious actors. TP-Link, a router brand made in China that is a best-seller on Amazon, became the subject of some US political anxiety in 2025 after a spate of cyberattacks.

The vast majority of Internet routers are assembled or manufactured outside of the US, often in Taiwan or China. One key non-foreign brand is Elon Musk’s Starlink, which manufacturers its routers in Texas.

Categories: Articles, Broadband, Equipment, Policy, Regulation

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