The United States router ban, explained

Key Points:

• The US government, under the Trump administration and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, has banned the import and sale of new foreign-made consumer Wi-Fi routers over national security concerns, though existing routers can still be used and purchased.
• The ban targets routers made or significantly developed outside the US, regardless of brand origin, effectively affecting most consumer routers since nearly all are manufactured or designed abroad, mainly in Asia.
• The FCC has not provided evidence that foreign-made routers are inherently less secure than domestic ones, and cybersecurity experts argue that poor security practices and lack of updates by telecom companies pose greater risks than the routers' country of origin.
• The ban aims to encourage US manufacturing and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains amid geopolitical tensions, but critics view it as an isolationist policy with questionable effectiveness and potential to disrupt the router market.
• Router manufacturers can seek conditional approval to continue selling new products in the US if they commit to US-based manufacturing plans, though security improvements are not required as part of this approval process.