FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Wednesday defended the agency's sweeping import bans on foreign-made telecommunications equipment, declaring that the commission's Covered List process is "working exceptionally well."

Speaking at a press conference in Washington on October 1, 2026, Carr responded to questions about the FCC's expanding restrictions on gear deemed to pose national security risks. The Covered List, administered under the commission's equipment authorization rules, identifies communications equipment and services that federal agencies have determined threaten the security or integrity of US communications networks.

Once a vendor or product lands on the list, the consequences are immediate. New equipment authorizations are barred, meaning listed gear cannot receive FCC certification for import or sale in the United States. The list has grown substantially in recent years, expanding beyond the initial Chinese vendors targeted by Congress to cover a broader range of foreign manufacturers and product categories.

Carr's public endorsement of the process comes as the commission continues to add entries and tighten enforcement. His characterization — "working exceptionally well" — signals that further expansions of the list remain on the agenda rather than a pause for review.

For operators, the practical effect is a shrinking pool of approved suppliers for radio equipment, routers, and other network gear. Carriers that built networks on now-covered equipment also face separate rip-and-replace obligations under federal reimbursement programs, adding cost pressure on top of procurement restrictions.

The Covered List mechanism has its roots in congressional action directing the FCC to act on determinations from the Commerce Department and other federal agencies about equipment that poses unacceptable security risks. The framework effectively delegates the security judgment to those agencies while giving the FCC the enforcement lever: without an equipment authorization, covered products cannot legally enter the US market.

Carr's comments Wednesday suggest the commission sees no need to recalibrate that approach. With the chairman backing further Covered List expansions, vendors seeking access to the US market should expect the security review bar to stay high — and likely rise — as the commission moves ahead with additional designations.