The FCC cited botnet attacks on aging, unpatched routers as justification for banning foreign-produced consumer hardware.
The policy response: make it harder to replace aging, unpatched routers.
The waiver that lets manufacturers keep patching existing devices runs until March 2027. It is permissive, not mandatory. A company formally expelled from the US market has diminishing incentive to patch hardware its customers cannot upgrade. (1/2)