BrianKrebs (@briankrebs@infosec.exchange)
infosec.exchange
Whoa, that escalated quickly. This just got sent out by the press folks at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC says it has decided that all foreign-made consumer-grade Internet routers are henceforth prohibited from receiving FCC authorization and are therefore prohibited from being imported for use or sale in the United States. "Update Follows Determination by Executive Branch Agencies that Consumer-Grade Routers Produced in Foreign Countries Threaten National Security WASHINGTON, March 23, 2026—Today, the Federal Communications Commission updated its Covered List to include all consumer-grade routers produced in foreign countries. Routers are the boxes in every home that connect computers, phones, and smart devices to the internet. This followed a determination by a White House-convened Executive Branch interagency body with appropriate national security expertise that such routers “pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States or the safety and security of United States persons.” "The Executive Branch determination noted that foreign-produced routers (1) introduce “a supply chain vulnerability that could disrupt the U.S. economy, critical infrastructure, and national defense” and (2) pose “a severe cybersecurity risk that could be leveraged to immediately and severely disrupt U.S. critical infrastructure and directly harm U.S. persons.” "This action does not affect any previously-purchased consumer-grade routers. Consumers can continue to use any router they have already lawfully purchased or acquired." "Producers of consumer-grade routers that receive Conditional Approval from DoW or DHS can continue to receive FCC equipment authorizations. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit applications to conditional-approvals@fcc.gov." Not sure how many consumer-grade routers will be left for sale if it really is a ban on approvals for any foreign-made consumer routers like they said, and not just a bunch of already restricted Chinese makers like Huawei and ZTE. https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-updates-covered-list-include-foreign-made-consumer-routers FCC's "covered list" of "thou shalt not entities": https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist
  • Paranoid Factoid@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    4 months ago

    I can understand the FTC being involved because trade. But the FCC? Maybe regulatory authority over WiFi? But this seems like massive over reach.

    Remember when conservatives claimed to support smaller government?

    • DarkFuture@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      4 months ago

      Remember when conservatives claimed to support smaller government?

      I only remember when conservatives lied everytime they opened their mouths.

      • shane@feddit.nlEnglish
        2·
        4 months ago

        Yeah, Reagan was always talking about small government, and then he blew up the deficit with unchecked spending. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    • floofloof@lemmy.caOPEnglish
      2·
      4 months ago

      How about the bit where they say home routers have to be approved by the DHS or the “Department of War”? This is not normal.

    • halowpeano@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      4 months ago

      I mean… “Small government” Republicans were always demonstrably lying, as far back as any of them have been alive. Every one of them just wanted to shift money from things that support people to the pockets of their donors.

  • itisileclerk@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    4 months ago

    But in fact USA and Israel are the countries that spy on anyone. I am more concern about USA and Israel spying than from India and China. In this point in history USA and Israel are the enemy of the world.

    • shane@feddit.nlEnglish
      1·
      4 months ago

      All countries spy on each other.

      I definitely agree about being more worried about the US spying than China though.

  • preschool236@lemmy.wtfEnglish
    2·
    4 months ago

    i dont even know how this is going to work out in practice - who’s going to start making routers in the US?

  • hperrin@lemmy.caEnglish
    2·
    4 months ago

    Awesome. So what used to be a $50 router is about to be a $150 router. Great.

    • cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      1·
      4 months ago

      $150 will get you a mini PC that you can run OPNsense on. Hopefully they don’t ban WiFi access points next.

      • 14th_cylon@lemmy.zipEnglish
        1·
        4 months ago

        there is not much wifi access points that are not routers at the same time and i doubt that said regulation would make such a minor a distinction.

        also keep in mind that the news articles are specifically talking about tp-link products.

        unfortunately we can only guess, because only official document i have found is as vague as the news reports.

        https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist

        Routers^ produced in a foreign country, except routers which have been granted a Conditional Approval by DoW or DHS.

        • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          01·
          4 months ago

          There are. Just need to shop in the business side of the store and not consumer. At worst pro-sumer.

  • Pulsar@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    4 months ago

    The only explanation that makes sense to me is that this is a law to:

    1. get bribes or favors from telecom equipment manufacturers.
    2. Create a framework to force backdoors into consumer equipment.
    3. Force users to use ISP provided equipment.
    • notthebees@reddthat.comEnglish
      1·
      4 months ago

      ISP provided equipment is also made outside of the US. This affects way more than just telecom stuff

  • gwl [he/him]@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    1·
    4 months ago

    The excuse that it’s for security reasons just immediately falls apart when you get to this part of the article:

    The notice from the FCC states that companies can apply for conditional approval for new products from the Department of War or the Department of Homeland Security. However, that requires the businesses to provide a plan for shifting at least some of their manufacturing to the US in order to receive that conditional approval.

    So it’s fine to supposedly threaten national security if you do some more manufacturing in the US? Uh-huh. How does that balance out exactly?

    • AngryDeuce@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      4 months ago

      The unwritten part is where Trump gets a free gold plated golf cart or some other stupid shit to sweeten the deal.

      Its grift allllll the way down.

  • teft@piefed.socialEnglish
    1·
    4 months ago

    If foreign made routers pose a severe cybersecurity risk then why would you let the current ones on the market stay? If they were truly a problem you’d remove them from the market, not grandfather them.

    But like everything with this capricious administration the real reason they’re doing this is probably because someone greased their palms.

  • Rivalarrival@lemmy.todayEnglish
    1·
    4 months ago

    This only applies to routers.

    It’s not widely known outside the ham radio community, but part of the 2.4GHz wifi band overlaps the 13cm amateur radio band. If you turn off 5GHz wifi and lock the 2.4GHz AP to Channel 1, it qualifies as a ham radio, and can be sold as a ham radio instead of an AP/Router. You do need a ham radio license to operate it as a Ham AP, but you do not need a license to buy a Ham AP.

    If the end user wants to turn on 5GHz after the fact, there is not a damn thing the FCC can do about it.

    • evil_andy@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      0·
      4 months ago

      But you can’t run encryption on it. So that means no WEP, no WPA, no SSL, TLS, VPN, etc.

      So yes, while you could run your own wireless access point, it doesn’t solve the main requirement for most people which is privacy.

      • Rivalarrival@lemmy.todayEnglish
        1·
        4 months ago

        You aren’t understanding my point.

        My point is that you can continue to import and sell the exact same physical device, just with a little change in marketing, and possibly software.

        My point is this: Once you have acquired the device, there is fuck all the FCC can do about you converting your “ham radio” back into a consumer-grade router.

        • kalpol@lemmy.caEnglish
          1·
          4 months ago

          This is technically not true, the FCC can and does enforce spectrum usage rules. Whether they will expend resources chasing down your router or your unlicensed GMRS is another matter.

    • boonhet@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      1·
      4 months ago

      Well it does say consumer-grade. Not sure what the reasoning there is, as backdoors in enterprise equipment would be much worse for national security

  • gibmiser@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    4 months ago

    Conditional approvals - it’s a bribe scheme. Companies can ask for exceptions. Sure they wouldn’t Grease any palms…