The US government has temporarily cleared SpaceX’s Starlink routers from restrictions on foreign-produced networking equipment, giving the satellite internet provider continued access to new product approvals while competitors navigate a federal review process capable of reshaping the American router market.
The FCC said its Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau updated the agency’s Covered List after the Department of War, commonly known as the Department of Defense, granted conditional approval to routers produced by SpaceX Services. The exemption runs until February 1, 2028.
The decision preserves Starlink’s ability to seek FCC equipment authorizations for affected routers. Without the exemption, new foreign-produced models would be unable to obtain the authorization generally required before electronic devices can be imported, marketed, or sold in the US. Ars Technica reported that SpaceX manufactures routers in both Texas and Vietnam.
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The FCC added foreign-produced consumer routers to its Covered List on March 23, 2026, following a national-security determination by a White House-convened interagency body. That determination concluded that overseas router manufacturing introduced supply-chain and cybersecurity risks capable of disrupting US infrastructure, defense operations, and household networks.
The March fact sheet cited foreign-made routers used in malicious activity connected to the Volt Typhoon, Flax Typhoon, and Salt Typhoon cyber campaigns.
The policy, however, did not amount to an immediate removal of foreign-made routers from stores or homes. Routers already authorized by the FCC can continue to be imported, sold, and used. The restrictions instead block equipment authorizations for new models unless the Department of War or Department of Homeland Security grants conditional approval.
The move to exempt SpaceX follows Netgear and Adtran obtained conditional approvals beginning in April, followed by Amazon’s Eero products. FCC records later identified approved router lines from Nokia and Calix.
An earlier FCC notice listed approvals for Netgear’s Nighthawk and Orbi products, Adtran service delivery gateways, and Eero and Amazon Leo routers. The approvals generally expire between October 2027 and early 2028.
The review process requires applicants to provide the government with information about ownership, supply chains, components, cybersecurity, and manufacturing plans. FCC guidance has also asked applicants for detailed proposals to establish or expand US manufacturing, including expected investment and implementation milestones.
The agency has not published SpaceX’s application or indicated whether the company committed to moving additional router production to the United States. This lack of disclosure makes it impossible to compare the conditions imposed on Starlink with those applied to other manufacturers.
