Tech Group Urges FCC to Scrap Wi-Fi Router Ban’s Software Update Cutoff

A major tech industry group is urging the Federal Communications Commission to revise perhaps the most controversial part of its foreign-made Wi-Fi router ban: blocking software updates to affected devices starting in March 2027.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which runs CES, raised the matter with the FCC during a Thursday meeting. According to a regulatory filing, the CTA said it supported the Trump administration’s goal of protecting the US from equipment deemed a national security threat. But it subtly pushed for the FCC to clarify and loosen the current approach. 

As it stands, the FCC is only permitting tech companies to issue software updates to existing foreign-made consumer routers until “at least until March 1, 2027.”

Although the commission is signaling that it could adjust the policy down the line, it currently sets an expiration date for millions of consumer routers that depend on software updates to receive security patches. It’s especially ironic considering the router ban is all about bolstering US security by preventing security vulnerabilities in networking products. 

The CTA is now calling on the FCC to provide a waiver “for updates and patching to enable manufacturers to continue supporting previously authorized devices beyond just one year (to avoid unsupported equipment in consumer homes and businesses).”

In addition, the CTA is asking the commission to consider “additional waivers” that could let a manufacturer make other product tweaks “that do not materially change the security posture of the device, for example, routine parts substitutions that do not materially affect the device’s RF (radio frequency) characteristics.”

The router ban only blocks new foreign-made Wi-Fi router models, not existing products already cleared for sale in the US. The FCC is also issuing short-term exemptions to companies that submit a detailed application, including plans to migrate their manufacturing to the US. So far, only three US companies—Adtran, Netgear, and Amazon’s eero—have received the exemptions, which last for the next 18 months. Netgear also says because it achieved exemption status, “we are not subject to the current March 1, 2027, deadline to cease software updates,” although the FCC hasn’t commented.

For now, the CTA is nudging the FCC to collaborate more with the Trump administration and the Defense Department to hammer out the policy amid fears that more foreign-made device bans could arrive down the line. Although US officials had long been considering a ban on the Chinese-affiliated router manufacturer TP-Link, the industry was shocked when the Trump administration abruptly went after all foreign-made devices.

The CTA now says the White House should consider “at minimum an opportunity for public comment on proposed prohibitions with an explanation of the national security risk the prohibition seeks to address; and (ii) consider alternative mechanisms to address these national security risks (e.g., by integrating industry-driven, consensus-based security standards into programs like the FCC’s US Cyber Trust Mark).”

The CTA also says the Defense Department, which issues exemptions to the ban, should “provide clear public guidance on the process for seeking a conditional approval; (ii) publish examples of conditions sufficient to achieve a conditional approval; and (iii) adopt a fast-track for products produced in defense treaty allied countries.”

CTA members include Apple, Google, Intel, Netgear, and TP-Link, as well as 1,200 other tech brands.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

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Experience

I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.

Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

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