Last week the FCC declared foreign‑made routers a national security threat.

On March 23, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officially determined that all new consumer‑grade routers made outside the United States pose an “unacceptable risk” to U.S. national security. As a result, the FCC blocked approval of any new foreign‑made router models for sale or import into the U.S., while allowing existing, previously approved routers to remain in use and on store shelves.

Currently, the only company positioned to sell new router models without FCC issues is: Starlink – part of Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Because their routers are manufactured in Texas.

The following companies cannot sell new foreign‑made models unless they receive “Conditional Approval” from DHS or the DoD.

Possible candidates (although not approved yet):
Netgear (has publicly supported the rule)
Ubiquiti (for specific enterprise/prosumer devices)
Select allied‑nation manufacturers (e.g., Israel, Norway)

Companies with Special / Partial Exceptions
Ubiquiti
Cisco (Consumer/SOHO routers)

Everyday consumer brands affected by this ruling:
TP-Link
Netgear
ASUS
D-Link
Amazon’s Eero
Google’s NEST
Sybology
*Tenda, Mercusys & Xiaomi – these are “budget” routers primarily manufactured in China.

The following companies were already on the FCC restricted list and are still effectively banned as the ban predates the router expansion and remains unchanged.
Huawei
ZTE
Hytera
Hikvision
Dahua

So what does this mean for consumers? For now:
You can keep using your current router
Stores can sell existing approved models
Firmware and security updates are allowed (at least through 2027)

Going forward:
New router models must be made entirely in the U.S. or, pass a stringent national‑security review
Fewer choices and higher prices are likely

Bottom line
This is one of the most sweeping technology security actions the FCC has ever taken:
It treats consumer routers as national‑security assets
It shifts risk assessment from company behavior to place of manufacture
It signals a long‑term move toward U.S.‑only production for core networking hardware

Resources
FCC Document
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-updates-covered-list-include-foreign-made-consumer-routers

Wired
https://www.wired.com/story/us-government-foreign-made-router-ban-explained/

Security Week
https://www.securityweek.com/fcc-bans-new-foreign-made-consumer-routers-over-national-security-risks/