US router and drone import ban: Updates now allowed until 2029
The FCC has banned the import of drones and routers, and updates were also not expected to be available for long. At least this deadline has now been extended.
(Image: Evgeny Ostroushko/Shutterstock.com)
The US communications regulator FCC now allows devices affected by the router ban and the drone import ban to receive software and firmware updates until January 1, 2029, “mitigate harm to U.S. consumers.” The Federal Communications Commission announced this now, without giving a specific reason for the change. However, at the end of April, the electronics association CTA (Consumer Technology Association) proposed in a letter to the FCC to allow longer supply of updates for the affected devices. This would prevent technology that can no longer be supported by manufacturers from being used in private households and companies.
Unexpected router ban
The change is the latest twist after the router ban surprisingly imposed at the end of March. At that time, the FCC declared that it would no longer approve new routers for the consumer market unless they were manufactured in the USA. However, such routers do not exist, which is why it was effectively a comprehensive router ban. Already approved router models could still be sold and existing units continued to be used. However, they were only supposed to receive security updates until March 1, 2027. As a justification, the FCC claimed that the devices posed an “unacceptable risk to national security.” Later, Netgear secured an exemption, even though the necessary prerequisites were not met.
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Already in December, the FCC had effectively banned the import of certain new foreign drones. At that time, the licensing authority placed various drones and drone parts from foreign drone manufacturers, including DJI and Chinese competitor Autel, on a “Covered List,” a blacklist of communication products and services that pose “an unacceptable risk” to the national security of the USA. The listed drones may no longer be operated in the USA and therefore can no longer be imported. However, manufacturers can now provide updates for these devices for longer as well.
(mho)
