The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has provided significant relief to consumers who own foreign-made drones or routers and were concerned about losing software support. On May 8, the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology published a formal notice extending the software update window for already-owned devices to January 1, 2029—nearly two years longer than originally planned.
Previous Deadlines Extended
Earlier deadlines were tight: drones faced a cutoff of January 1, 2027, while routers were set to lose update access by March 1, 2027. Both deadlines have now been removed. The extension ensures that existing devices will continue to receive essential updates for the foreseeable future.
Scope of the Extension
The notice clarifies that this waiver applies only to devices already authorized for sale before they were placed on the FCC's 'Covered List.' New foreign-made models remain banned unless manufacturers obtain conditional approval from the Department of Defense or Homeland Security. So far, only Netgear and Amazon's Eero have cleared this bar for routers.
The update extension covers a wide range of software modifications, including security patches and compatibility fixes for new operating systems. The FCC has also expanded the waiver to include Class II permissive changes—a broader category of software modifications that was not covered previously. This gives manufacturers more flexibility to push meaningful updates, not just minor tweaks.
Reason Behind the Ban
The government's concern about foreign-made devices is rooted in real threats. Approximately 60% of American routers are manufactured in China, and more than 80% of drones operated in the US were designed and built there. Officials have cited threats such as the Volt Typhoon cyberattack campaign, which used compromised routers to infiltrate American infrastructure. Drones have also been linked to corporate espionage since at least 2022.
Industry Response
The Consumer Technology Association had strongly advocated for this extension, arguing in a letter to the FCC that cutting off updates would leave millions of consumers with increasingly vulnerable hardware—the opposite of what a security-focused ban aims to achieve. The FCC acknowledged this argument and is now signaling that it may make the waiver permanent through a future rulemaking process.
For now, devices like TP-Link routers and DJI drones can continue to receive updates. However, consumers should not expect these companies to launch new models in the US anytime soon.
