| themes | transport, artificial intelligence, open science, open source |
| homepage | https://nicolas.saunier.confins.net |
| blog | https://opentransport.bearblog.dev |
This FCC administration banning foreign-made consumer network routers¹ ² citing "national security" concerns is not credible.
No mention is made of IP-connected monitoring cameras, set-top boxes, IoT devices, or any number of other demonstrably problematic classes of device³.
1/2
¹: https://infosec.exchange/@briankrebs/116280575943263005
²: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-updates-covered-list-include-foreign-made-consumer-routers
³: e.g. https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/ddos/glossary/mirai-botnet/
Whoa, that escalated quickly. This just got sent out by the press folks at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC says it has decided that all foreign-made consumer-grade Internet routers are henceforth prohibited from receiving FCC authorization and are therefore prohibited from being imported for use or sale in the United States. "Update Follows Determination by Executive Branch Agencies that Consumer-Grade Routers Produced in Foreign Countries Threaten National Security WASHINGTON, March 23, 2026—Today, the Federal Communications Commission updated its Covered List to include all consumer-grade routers produced in foreign countries. Routers are the boxes in every home that connect computers, phones, and smart devices to the internet. This followed a determination by a White House-convened Executive Branch interagency body with appropriate national security expertise that such routers “pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States or the safety and security of United States persons.” "The Executive Branch determination noted that foreign-produced routers (1) introduce “a supply chain vulnerability that could disrupt the U.S. economy, critical infrastructure, and national defense” and (2) pose “a severe cybersecurity risk that could be leveraged to immediately and severely disrupt U.S. critical infrastructure and directly harm U.S. persons.” "This action does not affect any previously-purchased consumer-grade routers. Consumers can continue to use any router they have already lawfully purchased or acquired." "Producers of consumer-grade routers that receive Conditional Approval from DoW or DHS can continue to receive FCC equipment authorizations. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit applications to [email protected]." Not sure how many consumer-grade routers will be left for sale if it really is a ban on approvals for any foreign-made consumer routers like they said, and not just a bunch of already restricted Chinese makers like Huawei and ZTE. https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-updates-covered-list-include-foreign-made-consumer-routers FCC's "covered list" of "thou shalt not entities": https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist
I’d rather live next to wind turbines and solar panels.
https://apnews.com/article/refinery-explosion-texas-coast-60ecf6d9a70a2f1d5494fb8e38a84c4a
Officials say an oil refinery fire near the Texas coast has been put out and a shelter-in-place order has been lifted following air quality testing. The large explosion at the complex had shot plumes of smoke into the air. A Valero spokesperson says no one was injured and all employees are accounted for after Monday’s explosion at the company's refinery in Port Arthur. The explosion comes amid a spike in gas prices driven by uncertainty over the global oil supply because of the Iran war. Valero’s website says the refinery has about 770 employees and can process about 435,000 barrels of oil per day. The plant refines heavy sour crude oil into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
Safe, protected bike-lanes are:
Better for business
Better for emissions
Better for air quality
Better for public health
Better for noise
Better for space
Better for equity
Better for affordability
Better for public cost
Better for safety for EVERYONE
Better for oil independence
Better.
Graphic by our URBAN TRUTH COLLECTIVE. Check out our website: https://www.urbantruthcollective.com/content
A rant about electric bicycles:
* For e-bikes to be viable car replacements they need cargo-carrying and hill-climb capacity. The practicality test for an e-bike is to carry four bags of grocieries, or a child.
* The 250W and 20km/h limit for unlicensed bicycles is *far* too low. Human cyclists comfortably exceed this in both power and speed leading to e-bikes holding up traffic. When. I ride the bikeways, human-powered traffic cruises at around 35 km/h.
* The "you must pedal or the motor stops" requirement is some Calvinist bullshit.
* The perl-clutching "but the children" scare in the news about "unlicensed motorbikes" HAS to be some kind of car-industry astroturfing. From what I can see on the bikeways, commuter e-bikes and scooters are HOT items and anyone with a head can see a dent in vehicle sales coming. Users LOVE this emerging mobility sector.
* I work in an industrial area with zero public transport service. I observe large numbers of workers riding scooters in the direction of the nearest train station.
* If governments *really* want to stick to the 250w 25km/h bullshit for "bicycles" then we need URGENT legislation to create a vehicle class for say 1000W 45km/h vehicles. The Australia post electric delivery tricycles are a worked example of the practicality of this class; I don't hear *anyone* having a meltdown about "dangerous monster tricycles on our footpaths".
#MicroMobility #ebikes #solarpunk
ETA: absurd panic-fueled legislation from the fossil-fuel captured Literal Nazi Party: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-24/queensland-ebike-escooter-ban-children-licence-reforms/106487910
Canada Healthwatch
emptywheel
Ben Zanin
David Ho
SnoopJ
Brent Toderian
Kit Bashir
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