AT&T · FCC · Ars Technica
Cable lobby cautions of chaos if FCC doesn't relax ban on foreign routers
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The cable industry’s primary lobby group is seeking a waiver of the Federal Communications Commission ban on foreign routers, warning of potential chaos if cable Internet service providers can’t change some of the components in routers they offer to home broadband users.
Key facts
- The FCC last month ruled that existing routers can receive software and firmware updates until at least January 1, 2029
- Like AT&T, NCTA members are encouraging their suppliers to quickly pursue required onshoring, and, in the meantime, seek Conditional Approvals for Covered Routers as necessary
- In March, the FCC added all consumer-grade routers made at least partly outside the US to its Covered List, which imposes restrictions on devices deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to national
- Before the FCC added all foreign-made routers to the Covered List, cable companies could make the necessary changes without special permission, the NCTA said
Summary
In March, the FCC added all consumer-grade routers made at least partly outside the US to its Covered List, which imposes restrictions on devices deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to national security. In a petition filed on Tuesday, NCTA-The Internet & Television Association asked the FCC to grant an expedited waiver allowing its members’ suppliers to “substitute substrate materials and memory modules in the previously certified routers that are now on the Covered List” as long as the changes “are otherwise consistent” with FCC regulations. These changes would not alter the functionality of previously authorized devices and would not swap US-produced components for foreign-produced ones, the NCTA said.