On March 23, 2026, the FCC issued a landmark ruling that completely upends the U.S. router industry. Under the ruling, new router technology developed, designed, or manufactured in a foreign country has been added to the FCC’s Covered List. In other words, no consumer routers made overseas after March 23, 2026, can be sold in the U.S. anymore.
While this creates a lot of confusion for consumers, it doesn’t actually change much for them. At least not right away. The ones hit hardest are OEMs.
Nearly 60% of routers are produced in China, with all the rest produced in other foreign countries. Given that no major consumer brands produce routers in the U.S. (for now), this puts virtually all router OEMs in a difficult position.
There Have Been Bans Before. This One’s Different.
Under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019, the FCC established a “Covered List,” essentially a blacklist of telecommunications brands, software, or devices that cannot be sold in the U.S. The FCC is required by law to add any product or technology that a national security agency tells it to.
Initially, the list included bans against five specific Chinese technology companies: Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua. Several additions have been made since the first Covered List was published in 2021, with a ban against cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab marking the first time software was included on the list.
Late 2025 was the first time the FCC added an entire product system, banning foreign-produced drones, including unmanned aircraft (UA), unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and their associated components. This included not just drones, but components such as navigation systems, sensors, and flight controllers.
How is the router ban different? The new FCC ruling marks the first time an entire product category has been banned.
Specific router brands, like TP-Link, have been heavily scrutinized prior to the ban. But this isn’t just a TP-Link router ban. The list includes all consumer-grade routers. And while the vast majority of routers on the U.S. market are made in China, it’s not just a Chinese router ban either. It affects routers made in any foreign country.
Do You Have to Throw Out Your Wi-Fi Router?
As a consumer, a sweeping ban like this can paint a picture of an immediate security threat right in your living room. While the FCC’s goal is to neutralize cybersecurity threats like Volt, Flax, and Salt Typhoon, the ruling leaves the industry with a massive logistical puzzle to solve.
What should you do now as a consumer? Nothing. The FCC has explicitly stated that this ruling has no impact on devices you already own.
But that doesn’t mean consumers are completely unaffected.
- You probably can’t buy the new version of the router you want – at least not right away.
- Retail availability will be limited to routers that were approved before March 23, 2026. As retail stock sells out, prices and availability may become unpredictable.
- Under a waiver granted in the ruling, foreign-made routers will only continue to receive security patches and firmware updates until March 1, 2027. Unless the waiver is extended, foreign-made routers may stop receiving security updates, making them vulnerable to hacking after that date.
The good news? As a consumer, the onus to comply isn’t on you. Telecom companies and router manufacturers are the ones who have to either go through the hoops for “Conditional Approval” or overhaul their supply chain to make devices that don’t get blacklisted.
What the New FCC Ruling Means for OEMs
Perhaps the biggest sticking point for manufacturers is the wording in the FCC’s ruling. It doesn’t just ban routers assembled in foreign countries. It targets routers that are produced overseas.
“Produced” is an all-encompassing term that affects each stage of the product lifecycle:
- Design: Where the hardware architecture is created.
- Development: Where the firmware is coded.
- Manufacturing: Where the circuit boards and components are fabricated.
- Assembly: Where the physical parts are put together.
Having a U.S.-based headquarters doesn’t count. Designing your product in the U.S. is no longer enough if you manufacture and assemble your hardware overseas. And even if you take ownership of your firmware, it breaks the law if you still rely on overseas software engineers to make security patches.
What About Conditional Approvals?
Virtually every router manufacturer has to pivot -fast to avoid shutting down. One path forward is to apply for Conditional Approval. This is a stringent federal audit that requires manufacturers to:
- Provide full corporate disclosure of all legal names, parent companies, subsidiaries, joint ventures, and beneficial owners.
- Disclose any financing, influence, or ownership from foreign government entities.
- Submit a detailed Bill of Materials (BOM) for every single component, including the origin of its design, development, manufacturing, and assembly.
- Provide a detailed supply chain audit, including the percentage of origin from each foreign country.
- Create a detailed U.S. onshoring plan that outlines how the entire manufacturing process, from design to assembly, will be established in the U.S.
While Conditional Approvals offer a regulatory lifeline for companies that depend on foreign designs, the administrative requirements are extensive. For OEMs, this path is a significant time investment, albeit necessary to avoid a complete shutdown.
Onshore Your Router Manufacturing with Eagle Wireless
The FCC ban is a forced evolution for OEMs. While a Conditional Approval provides a temporary bridge, it is not a long-term solution for companies that rely on overseas production.
The most sustainable path forward is sourcing your core components from a U.S.-based module manufacturer. By partnering with Eagle Wireless, you don’t have to fall behind on your next product launch. We provide a “Safe Harbor” for manufacturers through:
- U.S.-Based Production: Our modules are manufactured in Solon, Ohio, ensuring they are inherently compliant with the definition of “produced” under the FCC ruling.
- Pin-to-Pin Compatibility: Our 4G, 5G, and IoT modules are designed for pin-to-pin compatibility with many common foreign-made footprints. You can swap out non-compliant hardware without a costly redesign from scratch.
- Western-Led R&D: Our design and firmware oversight is in the U.S., protecting your devices from the risk of foreign software origins.
Don’t let regulatory red tape stall your speed-to-market. Contact our team to learn how we can help you transition to a secure, geopolitically resilient supply chain with compatible technology produced in the U.S.