FCC Walks Back Router Update Ban Before It Bricks America's Network Security

FCC's Foreign-Made Router Ban Collides With Memory, Chip Shortage

AT&T says the ban prohibits hardware changes to existing Wi-Fi routers, which is a problem because manufacturers need to source new components amid the RAM crunch.

FCC walks back router update ban before it bricks America's network security

America's telco regulator has seen some sense over its ban on foreign-made routers, deciding that existing devices should continue receiving software and firmware updates after all. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has extended waivers covering certain foreign-made routers (and drones) already operating in the US, pushing the update deadline to at least January 1, 2029. Without the extension, updates would have been blocked as early a…

FCC Extends Foreign Router Update Window to 2029, Balancing Security Risks and Consumer Protection

The Federal Communications Commission just bought millions of American homes and businesses two more years of software patches for their routers. On May 8 the agency’s Office of Engineering and Technology pushed the cutoff for security and functionality updates on previously authorized foreign-made routers and drones from early 2027 to January 1, 2029. The move marks a pragmatic retreat from an earlier hard line. Yet it leaves the broader prohib…

FCC Says Foreign-Made Routers Can Get Updates Until 2029

The FCC has softened its ban on foreign-made consumer routers, allowing vendors to keep issuing broader software and firmware updates for devices already in use in the U.S. through at least January 2029. Dark Reading reports: Under the original FCC ruling, foreign manufacturers were permitted to provide only limited maintenance and security patches to US customers through March 2027. In a public note (PDF) on May 8, the FCC extended that deadlin…