FCC’s foreign gadget bans deepen the clampdown on Chinese tech
From telecoms to home gadgets
For more than a decade, the US government has scrutinized Chinese telecom equipment companies Huawei and ZTE. It created an Entity List for companies whose equipment should be barred from import, marketing and sale, and required telecom providers to remove and replace some gear. Many providers have not completed that work.
Under the second Trump administration, restrictions expanded to consumer products. In December 2025, President Donald Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr banned future foreign drones unless their companies received waivers. Further bans covered future foreign routers, robots and power inverters, including robovacs under the robot restriction.
Security claims and public evidence
The government says the devices pose unacceptable risks to US national security. But it has released no public evidence of threats from these product categories, according to the reporting, and has not explained why waivers should be trusted as security measures.
The restrictions also do not address existing drones, routers and robots that might pose risks. Meanwhile, consumer electronics are largely made overseas, including nearly all routers and drones, leaving few US companies to fill gaps.
Router waivers vary by company
Taiwan’s MSI received conditional approval to bring two routers into the US, the Radix GRBE94 and GRBE34, pending certification. Netgear and Asus received blanket approvals for new routers earlier this year, while TP-Link has not obtained a comparable waiver.
TP-Link says it is prepared to spend $1 billion to assemble Wi-Fi 8 routers in the US by next year, if the FCC exempts its products. The reporting notes that Netgear and Asus received exemptions without pledging US manufacturing, despite FCC paperwork requiring such a commitment.
Drone cases and testing labs
The FCC agreed to block applications from Jovistar after the agency’s subcontractor, TÜV Rheinland, asked it to do so. Public records identified Jovistar as another alleged “DJI front company.” The FCC also sent sealed Pentagon letters about the DJI ban to 16 members of Congress, but the government has not made public evidence of a national security threat.
The FCC has also targeted Chinese test labs accused of improperly helping authorize gadgets for US import. It wants to stop authorizing Chinese labs beginning in December 2028.
Key points
- The FCC’s restrictions cover future foreign drones, routers, robots and power inverters.
- The government has not publicly disclosed evidence of threats from the covered consumer devices.
- MSI received conditional approval for two routers, while TP-Link remains without a broad waiver.
- The FCC wants to stop authorizing Chinese testing labs starting in December 2028.