Citing national security fears, America is effectively banning any new consumer-grade network routers made abroad.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has updated its Covered List to include all foreign-made consumer routers, prohibiting the approval of any new models.
For clarification, the FCC says this change does not prevent the import, sale, or use of any existing models that the agency previously authorized.
That Covered List details equipment and services covered by Section 2 of The Secure Networks Act, which, by their inclusion, are deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to US national security.
According to the FCC, this move follows a determination by a “White House-convened Executive Branch interagency body with appropriate national security expertise,” in line with President Trump’s National Security Strategy that the US must not be dependent on any other country for core components necessary to the nation’s defense or economy.
Its determination was that foreign-produced routers introduce a supply chain vulnerability which could disrupt critical infrastructure and national defense, and pose a severe cybersecurity risk that could harm Americans.
FCC and Executive Branch unilaterally try to**
That said, I don’t have the money to try to import an unapproved router for personal use and then find/hire lawyers sue when its seized in customs, and am uncertain what arguments could be used in-court to affect this issue beyond for, maybe, myself ending up with a product I honestly don’t plan to use, but there has to be a way beyond begging Congress-Critters for some basic crumbs of Illusion-of-Choice-masquerading-as-Consumer-Rights … right?