Asus won’t say how it escaped the US router ban
Asus secured an exemption from the US foreign router ban on September 9, yet continues to refuse confirmation on whether it plans to manufacture in the US.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Asus obtained an exemption from the US foreign-made router ban as of September 9.
- The company has not publicly clarified whether it submitted a US manufacturing plan.
- The ban focuses heavily on manufacturing locations and avoiding China rather than cybersecurity.
- Both Asus and Netgear have leveraged government exemptions as marketing tools.
This spring, the United States banned all future foreign-made consumer routers unless makers could convince the government they posed no national security threat and submit a detailed, time-bound plan to establish or expand manufacturing within the United States.
As of September 9th, Asus secured an exemption from this ban just in time to introduce its early Wi-Fi 8 routers to the market. However, Asus has not publicly announced any US manufacturing plans and declined to confirm to The Verge whether it actually submitted a manufacturing plan to the US government, remaining silent for over 12 days.
Initially, Asus spokesperson JJ Guerrero forwarded a statement noting that the company submitted the required plan to the FCC and was working with trusted manufacturing partners. Yet, when repeatedly asked to clarify if that meant manufacturing equipment inside the United States, the company did not respond.
The US router ban appears to center less on actual cybersecurity checks and more on geopolitical manufacturing origins. The FCC does not ask security-related questions for exemptions, nor does it thoroughly test products for security flaws; instead, it grants broad exemptions while companies shift production away from China to US allies.
Publicly, both Asus and Netgear are utilizing government exemptions for marketing purposes. Netgear previously emailed customers boasting its status as a trusted brand, while Asus claims to have passed rigorous cybersecurity reviews and earned certifications as a trusted networking equipment vendor, even though those terms trace back solely to Asus's own statements.
"ASUS has submitted the required plan to the FCC and is working with trusted manufacturing partners to support our future networking product portfolio in the U.S."
JJ Guerrero, Asus spokesperson
Source: The Verge
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