In a bombshell announcement, the Federal Communications Commission announced on March 23 that it would be banning all foreign-made Wi-Fi routers. On Tuesday, Netgear became the first company to be granted an FCC exemption, despite its routers being manufactured in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Taiwan.
“As a US-founded and -headquartered company, Netgear is aligned with the vision for a more secure digital future for our customers,” Netgear CEO CJ Prober said in a statement.
The FCC’s ban doesn’t apply to any existing routers that it has already authorized, so you don’t need to rush out and replace your router immediately. If you were thinking about buying a new router soon, I’d hold off until we learn more about how the ban shakes out.
The order currently applies to any new models “produced in foreign countries.” Router manufacturers can apply for an exemption. So far, Netgear is the only company that’s been granted “Conditional Approval” on the FCC’s website.
This is a monumental development for the domestic Wi-Fi router market. Nearly every router available for purchase in this country is at least partially manufactured outside the US, including TP-Link, Asus and Netgear. An estimated 60% of routers in the US are manufactured in China.
| Operator | Verizon (prior to Frontier acquisition) |
Comcast | Charter | AT&T (prior to Lumen transaction) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top vendors | 1. Arcadyan 2. Wistron 3. Netgear |
1. Arris 2. Netgear 3. Technicolor |
1. Askey 2. Sagemcom 3. Netgear |
1. Humax 2. Nokia 3. Netgear |
