To secure a freedom FCC’s foreign-made router banTP-Link claims to be a US company.
TP-Link met with FCC officials on Thursday to discuss applying for an exemption from the router ban, formally known as a Conditional Approval. couple regulator documents. Two days ago, US-based Netgear and Adtran got a reprievepaving the way for companies to certify and sell new router models in the US for at least the next 18 months.
At the meetings, TP-Link’s lawyers and advisers spoke with the staff of FCC Commissioners Olivia Trusty and Anna Gomez. In both, “TP-Link announced its intention to apply for Conditional Approval of its consumer-grade routers and (and) explained the importance of protecting innovation, competition and consumer choice in the consumer router market.”
In both meetings, the company also emphasized that TP-Link not only a leading Wi-Fi router vendoralso “a US company headquartered in Irvine, California”.
This underscores TP-Link’s efforts to reduce its ties to China. US officials have long it is claimed it is claimed that the company’s products could pose an espionage threat to Chinese hackers TP-Link denies.
TP-Link was founded in 1996 in Shenzhen, China. But it started process It left its Chinese counterpart in 2022, which it completed two years later. TP-Link USA site Emphasizing that it has no ties to China, it adds that “US operations own and operate the global TP-Link business. The company’s founder and CEO, Jeffrey Chao, owns TP-Link with his wife, and they both live in Irvine.”
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Still, TP-Link will no doubt face continued scrutiny over its China ties, especially after the company applied for an exemption from the FCC’s router ban. of the Commission management the process requires the Wi-Fi router vendor to disclose its full ownership structure, any foreign government support and the nationality of its executive management. Chao, a Chinese citizen, wants to live in the United States permanently through the Trump Gold Card program, which requires a $1 million payment. according to to Bloomberg.
There is also speculation that the FCC’s router ban is a veiled threat against TP-Link. There was such information last year The US will only ban TP-Linkbut amid upcoming trade talks, it is now imposing a broader ban to avoid angering Chinese President Xi Jinping. according to for The Wall Street Journal.
At the FCC hearings, TP-Link added that its routers are “positive reviewed by tech reviewers” and denied that their products pose a security threat. “TP-Link routers are safe and secure. Publicly available data places TP-Link on par with or ahead of other major industry players in terms of security results,” the company told commission officials, according to regulatory filings.
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When asked about the FCC meetings, the company also told PCMag: “TP-Link Systems Inc. will follow the same process that the FCC sets for all companies. We are committed to providing innovative, reliable and secure connectivity solutions for American consumers.”
Applying for an FCC exemption would require TP-Link to submit a “detailed, time-bound plan to establish or expand manufacturing in the United States.” The company must also disclose the country of origin for all components of future router models it plans to sell. Given the recent sighting of Russian hackers, we expect the FCC to question the company’s security stance as well exploitation Disadvantages of expired TP-Link routers. In response, the company published its own publication adviceurges affected customers to replace older hardware or install newly designed security updates to protect against the threat.
For now, TP-Link and other big brands can continue to sell existing product models in the US, but the security clock is ticking. According to the FCC’s order, foreign-made routers only is allowed Receive software and firmware updates until March 1, 2027. While the FCC has said it will clarify the policy over time, the current order risks preventing many router models, including TP-Link’s, from receiving important security updates in the future. For now, only Netgear and Adtran are exempt from the firmware update issue.
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Michael Kahn
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I have been a journalist for more than 15 years. I started as a school and city reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, covering satellite internet services, cybersecurity, computer hardware, and more. I currently live in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing more than 600 stories on availability and feature launches, as well as regulatory battles over expanding satellite constellations, battles with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and efforts to expand into mobile satellite-based service. I scoured FCC filings for the latest news and traveled to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cell service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. in 2024 and 2025 The FTC forced Avast to pay $16.5 million for secretly collecting consumers’ personal information and selling it to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint disclosure investigation with the motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Disadvantages during the pandemic he took me to the camp In front of Best Buy to get the RTX 3000. Now I’m watching how AI-based memory shortages affect the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always eager to learn more, so please leave feedback in the comments and send me tips.
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