New Global Electronics Association Report Examines FCC Router Restrictions and Supply Chain Challenges

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The Global Electronics Association today released a new report, “Routers, Restrictions, and Reality: The FCC’s Latest Supply Chain Curveball,” examining the Federal Communications Commission’s March 2026 decision to add all foreign-produced consumer routers to its Covered List.

The report explores the potential impact of the decision on manufacturers, retailers, broadband providers, and consumers, with a particular focus on supply chains, domestic manufacturing capacity, product availability, pricing, and the rollout of next-generation technologies such as Wi‑Fi 7.

The analysis finds that nearly all consumer routers and key networking components are currently produced or assembled outside the United States. It also notes that router supply chains have already shifted significantly away from China toward countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan, but that building comparable domestic manufacturing capacity in the United States would require years of investment in facilities, supplier networks, and workforce development.

Key findings from the report include:

• More than 100 million consumer routers are currently in active use in the United States.
• Roughly 70% of U.S. households receive their router or gateway from their broadband provider.
• Virtually no consumer routers sold in the United States are manufactured entirely domestically.
• Domestic manufacturing buildout would likely require years of investment, supplier development, and workforce expansion.
• Chinese-origin imports accounted for only 1.1% of the total U.S. router import value in 2025, according to government data, despite perceptions that China dominates the market.

The full report is available here: Global-Electronics-Association-routers-report26.pdf.