In an effort to obtain an exemption from the FCC bans foreign-made routersTP-Link argues that it is an American company.
TP-Link met with FCC officials on Thursday to discuss requesting an exemption from the router ban, officially known as Conditional Approval, according to a pair regulatory filings. Two days earlier, US-based Netgear and Adtran received pardonpaving 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 attorneys and consultants spoke with the staff of FCC Commissioners Olivia Trusty and Anna Gomez. In both, “TP-Link stated its intention to seek conditional approval of its consumer routers (and) explained the importance of maintaining innovation, competition and consumer choice in the consumer router market.”
In both meetings, the company also highlighted that TP-Link is not just a Leading Wi-Fi Router Providerbut also “an American company, headquartered in Irvine, California.”
It underlines TP-Link’s efforts to downplay its ties to China. American officials have long alleged that the company’s products could pose an espionage threat to Chinese hackers, a claim TP-Link denies this.
TP-Link was founded in 1996 in Shenzhen, China. But it started process to split from its Chinese counterpart in 2022, which it completed two years later. The TP-Link USA place emphasizes that it has no ties to China, adding that “TP-Link’s global business is owned and run by US operations. Jeffrey Chao, the company’s founder and CEO, owns TP-Link with his wife, and they both reside in Irvine.”
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Still, TP-Link will no doubt face continued scrutiny over its ties to China, especially once the company applies for an exemption from the FCC’s router ban. the commission guide The process requires a Wi-Fi router provider to disclose its full ownership structure, any support from a foreign government, and the nationality of its executive leadership. Chao, a Chinese national, is seeking permanent residency in the United States through the Trump Gold Card program, which requires a payment of $1 million. according to Bloomberg.
There is also speculation that the FCC’s router ban is a veiled threat against TP-Link. Last year there were reports that The United States would ban TP-Link alonebut is now seeking a broader ban to avoid angering Chinese President Xi Jinping amid upcoming trade talks. according to The Wall Street Journal.
At the FCC meetings, TP-Link added that its routers have been “positively revised by technology critics,” and denied that its 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 safety outcomes,” the company told commission staff, 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 has established for all companies. We remain committed to providing innovative, reliable and secure connectivity solutions for American consumers.”
Applying for the FCC exemption will 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 of all components of any future router models it plans to sell. We expect the FCC to also question the company’s security stance, given the recent detection of Russian hackers. exploding Failures in TP-Link routers at the end of their useful life. In response, the company has published its own advisoryurging affected customers to replace legacy hardware or install newly designed security updates to protect themselves from the threat.
For now, TP-Link and other major brands can continue selling their existing product models in the US, but the security clock is ticking. Under the FCC order, foreign-made routers are only permitted to receive software and firmware updates until March 1, 2027. Although the FCC indicates it will clarify the policy over time, the current order risks preventing numerous router models, including those from TP-Link, from receiving crucial security updates in the future. So far, only Netgear and Adtran are exempt from the software update issue.
About our expert
Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
Experience
I have been a journalist for more than 15 years. I started as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I currently reside in San Francisco, but previously spent more than five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I have covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing more than 600 stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over expanding satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I scoured the FCC files for the latest news and drove to remote corners of California to test Starlink cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly collecting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint report investigation with motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages took me camping vs. Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. Now I’m tracking how the AI-driven memory shortage is affecting the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always eager to learn more, so hit the comments with your feedback and send me tips.
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