Federal Communications Commission takes action to safeguard America's communications networks

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took actions Monday to safeguard America's communications networks from foreign attacks and sabotage.

The FCC added consumer routers produced in foreign countries to the agency's Covered List following a national security determination provided by Executive Branch agencies, meaning that new models of foreign-produced routers will no longer be eligible for marketing or sale in the United States.

The determination noted that foreign-produced routers could introduce "a supply chain vulnerability that could disrupt the US economy, critical infrastructure, and national defense" and pose "a severe cybersecurity risk that could be leveraged to immediately and severely disrupt US critical infrastructure and directly harm US persons."

"I welcome this Executive Branch national security determination, and I am pleased that the FCC has now added foreign-produced routers, which were found to pose an unacceptable national security risk, to the FCC's Covered List," said FCC Chair Brendan Carr in a statement.

The FCC determination included an exemption for routers that the Department of War or the Department of Homeland Security have granted "Conditional Approval" after finding that such device or devices do not pose such unacceptable risks.

Producers of consumer-grade routers are encouraged to submit an application for Conditional Approval using the guidance attached to the determination.

"Malicious actors have exploited security gaps in foreign-made routers to attack American households, disrupt networks, enable espionage, and facilitate intellectual property theft," the FCC said in a statement. "We must re-secure our own independent and reliable access to the goods we need to defend ourselves and preserve our way of life."