The FCC granted ACA Connects and NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association a one-year expedited waiver on September 29 from the agency's ban on new, foreign-made consumer routers, giving the trade groups' small and midsized cable operator and telco members supply continuity through September 29, 2027.

The Office of Engineering and Technology approved the joint request roughly three months after it was filed. The waiver allows member companies and their suppliers to make Class I and Class II hardware changes to consumer-grade routers and broadband gateways that appear on the FCC's "Covered List" of devices deemed national security threats. Class I changes cover minor modifications that do not alter RF characteristics; Class II changes involve more substantive modifications that may affect RF performance or device emissions.

ACA Connects and NTCA said the waiver "will allow hardware upgrades necessary to ensure a continuous supply of consumer broadband routers in the face of persistent supply-chain shortages." The FCC framed the exemption as serving the public interest "by preventing disruptions to the availability of broadband" for their members while still fulfilling the national security aims of the rules.

What is the underlying ban?

The Commission adopted the router ban in March to clamp down on potential national security threats and to push suppliers toward domestic manufacturing. Since then, the rule has forced broadband operators and vendors to route hardware revisions through an additional review track. Most suppliers contacted by Light Reading say they have built in about eight extra weeks to account for FCC reviews of routers and gateways.

For larger carriers, that delay is manageable. For smaller ISPs and telcos, the same wait can stall customer rollouts. The ACA Connects/NTCA waiver specifically targets routers requiring "relatively small hardware changes, including alterations to memory and other components that are being impacted by ongoing supply chain constraints or reaching end-of-life," the order states.

Who else has received expedited waivers?

ACA Connects and NTCA are part of a broader cohort. The FCC has granted similar one-year expedited waivers to AT&T, CTIA, NCTA, USTelecom, Arcadyan Technology, Askey Computer, Sercomm, Verizon and WNC. NCTA filed a second petition for a broader waiver in addition to its June 2027 approval and is awaiting a decision.

The Commission has also been issuing conditional approvals, which typically apply to new router products — including Wi-Fi extenders — that have not previously gone through the FCC's certification process, according to a broadband CPE executive. Vendors with conditional approvals include:

• Adtran (Service Delivery Gateway-class routers, through October 1, 2027)
• Alpha Networks (1700 and 2700 series, through November 22, 2027)
• Arcadyan (CPE for T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon, through December 12, 2027)
• Askey Computer (ASK-NCM1100, ASK-NCM1100E, ASK-NMC300 and ASK-NCQ8000 Wi-Fi 8 gateways, through February 3, 2028)
• Asus (RT, ROG GT, ROG Strix GS, TUF Gaming, ExpertWiFi, ZenWiFi Mesh and 5G MiFi lines, through March 6, 2028)
• Calix (GigaSpire and GigaPro models, through November 22, 2027)
• Comtrend (GRG-4366u, VG-8043u, PBL-6201 and NL-3131, through March 6, 2028)
• eero/Amazon (eero devices and Amazon Leo routers, through October 31, 2027)
• Gemtek (WRTQ-411BE and WNRFQQ-113BE, through January 3, 2028)
• Gryphon Online Safety (Parental Control Wi-Fi router, through January 10, 2028)
• Hitron (DOCSIS 4.0, DOCSIS 3.1 and fixed wireless access devices)
• Humax Networks (HNR2306 and HNRM30 Wi-Fi 7 routers, through January 17, 2028)
• Miri Technologies (Miri X10 Travel Router, through December 12, 2027)
• Netgear (Nighthawk mesh, mobile and standalone routers, through October 1, 2027)
• Nokia (wireless and Beacon routers, through October 31, 2027)
• Sagemcom (FAST3994, FAST3897, FAST5698, FAST5699 and FAST5999, including a new DOCSIS 4.0 device, through December 5, 2027)
• SpaceX (Starlink routers, through February 1, 2028)
• Vantiva (CWA438TX DOCSIS 3.1+ modem with VoIP, through January 8, 2028)
• Vivid-Hosting (full product class, through March 28, 2028)
• WNC (LVR5A, LVM9 and LV85C, through February 21, 2028)
• Zyxel Communications (EE4210-00, EE6610-00 and 5GNR NR5331, through February 3, 2028)

Actiontec Electronics has an expedited waiver request pending. Vantiva filed two petitions on August 17 for the BGW620 gateway earmarked for AT&T, both awaiting action, in addition to a July 29 expedited waiver filing.

What does the trajectory look like?

Expiration dates across the conditional approvals stretch into early 2028, with Asus and Vivid-Hosting holding the longest runway at March 2028. The pattern points to the Commission treating the ban as a multi-year transition rather than a one-shot enforcement event, giving suppliers a predictable compliance window while signalling that domestic manufacturing remains the ultimate policy goal.