US FCC extends foreign-made router ban to portable hotspot devices
→Manufacturers must obtain FCC exemptions before importing new hotspot models
Change
US FCC expanded its foreign-made consumer router ban to include portable hotspot devices and requires exemptions for any new unapproved models.
Why it matters
The clarification brings residential MiFi and hotspot devices under the existing national-security-based approval restriction. New models made partly outside the US cannot be imported or sold without clearance, while previously approved devices remain permitted.
Implications
- — Device manufacturers must obtain FCC exemptions before importing or selling new hotspot models — failure blocks market entry
- — Product and compliance teams must route new device approvals through national-security clearance — unapproved models cannot be commercialised
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Source
View on Ars Technica