Trump administration exempts SpaceX's Starlink from FCC ban on foreign-made routers

The Trump administration today exempted SpaceX's Starlink routers from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ban on foreign-made routers. A public notice from the FCC stated that Starlink routers received approval from the Department of War, also known as the Department of Defense. The exemption is valid until February 1, 2028.

The FCC caused an industry-wide scramble when it updated the Covered List to include all consumer-grade routers made at least partly outside the US, except those granted exemptions. The Covered List includes devices deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to national security. Since routers are generally built outside the US or contain foreign-made components, all major vendors require exemptions.

Netgear, Amazon, and other companies have previously received exemptions. It is widely expected that companies with Chinese ties will face the most difficulty obtaining exemptions from the Trump administration, which alleges that foreign networking products pose national security risks and has pushed for more domestic manufacturing.

SpaceX has a factory in Texas, and some of its routers bear "Made in the USA" labels, leading some to believe it might be the only major router maker to escape the FCC's broad ban. However, other Starlink routers are produced in Vietnam, as PCMag reported in April.