FCC foreign gadget bans expand from drones to routers and robots

The US government is extending import restrictions on foreign consumer gadgets, with drones, routers and robots among the affected categories. The Verge’s Sean Hollister reports that the restrictions began in December 2025, when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) barred future foreign drones unless their companies obtained a waiver.

Further restrictions cover future foreign routers, robots and power inverters. The robot restrictions also include future foreign robot vacuums. The government says the devices pose an unacceptable threat to US national security.

Hollister reports that the government has provided no public evidence for the claimed threat and has not addressed existing devices that might pose one. The article also questions whether waivers are tied to security. It says few US companies are positioned to replace foreign suppliers, noting that nearly all routers and drones are made overseas.

The restrictions follow more than a decade of US distrust toward Chinese telecom equipment providers Huawei and ZTE. The government previously created an Entity List for companies whose equipment should be barred from import, marketing and sale, and required telecom providers to remove and replace their equipment. The Verge says many providers have yet to do so. The story is part of the publication’s ongoing coverage of foreign gadget bans.