The Federal Communications Commission extended through Jan. 1, 2029 a waiver that allows foreign-made consumer routers already approved for use in the United States to continue receiving software and firmware updates.
Why the FCC granted an 18-month reprieve
Published by the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology last Friday, the notice extends a temporary waiver the agency has been using to manage a transition prompted by a new policy restricting foreign-made consumer routers. The extension — described in the agency release as necessary to ensure "any previously authorized devices can still receive updates" — carries through Jan. 1, 2029 and was framed as an 18-month reprieve from the earlier cutoff date the agency had set.
The earlier ban and the March 1, 2027 cutoff
Earlier this year, the FCC instituted a ban on foreign-made consumer routers, citing national security concerns and establishing March 1, 2027 as the deadline after which existing routers would no longer receive patches. The agency’s move put immediate pressure on manufacturers because, as the notice and industry commentary acknowledge, almost all consumer-grade routers are made outside the United States — a fact that has left manufacturers uncertain about how to continue producing new models in compliance with the ban.
Netgear, Amazon-owned Eero, and the waiver conditions
Manufacturers have sought temporary relief. Netgear in April obtained a temporary waiver that allowed it to continue importing already-authorized consumer routers through most of 2027. Amazon-owned Eero has also obtained a waiver. The FCC attached conditions to such waivers: companies granted relief must submit a plan for establishing router manufacturing plants inside the United States as part of their applications for exemption.
Expanded waivers for "analogous Class II permissive changes"
The extension published last Friday goes beyond simple continuation of patching; it expands waivers to cover "analogous Class II permissive changes" tied to software and firmware updates intended to mitigate harm to U.S. consumers. The FCC's notice defines Class II permissive changes as typically involving more substantive hardware or software modifications than Class I updates, and it notes that these changes often require FCC review and approval before deployment. The agency said the expanded waiver is required to ensure that previously authorized devices can still receive updates when those updates fall into the Class II category.
How technologists, policymakers, and consumers are likely to respond
- Technologists and security teams: They will have an operational window in which patching of affected routers is permitted through the extended waiver period; updates that amount to Class II permissive changes will remain subject to FCC review, per the notice.
- Policymakers and regulators: The FCC's condition that waiver recipients submit plans to establish U.S. router manufacturing plants ties enforcement of the ban to steps intended to reshape the supply chain; regulators will be monitoring compliance with those plans as a condition of continued relief.
- Manufacturers (Netgear and Amazon-owned Eero): Both companies have secured temporary waivers, but each must satisfy the FCC’s requirement to present manufacturing plans. Netgear's April waiver specifically allowed imports through most of 2027, while Eero has also obtained relief under similar conditions.
- Consumers and the general public: For now, owners of previously authorized routers will continue to receive updates beyond the March 1, 2027 cutoff the FCC originally set — including, when necessary, updates that rise to the level of Class II changes — but that continuation depends on the agency's waivers and the manufacturers' compliance with waiver conditions.
The FCC framed the extension as a practical step to prevent previously authorized devices from becoming unpatchable during a period of regulatory change. It leaves intact the policy’s stated national security rationale while forcing manufacturers seeking ongoing relief to outline a path toward domestic production. Whether those plans will materialize, and how they will affect the availability and lifecycle of consumer routers, will be determined as companies submit and regulators evaluate the manufacturing proposals required by the waivers.