Banned drones and routers in the US will still get critical updates until 2029

If you have a foreign-made drone or router that has since been banned by the Federal Communications Commission, you'll be able to get some more use out if it for the next couple of years. The FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) posted an announcement on May 8 that stated affected routers and drones will be able to receive "software and firmware updates that mitigate harm to US consumers," until January 1, 2029. The latest notice extends the update deadline by about two years from its initial cut-off.

The FCC added "uncrewed aircraft systems," better known as drones, and drone components to its Covered List of communications equipment and services that pose national security concerns in December 2025. A few months after, the federal agency added routers manufactured outside of the US to the list, but allowed an exception that affected routers would receive updates at least through March 1, 2027. With the FCC's latest notice, the OET argued in favor of extending the update deadline, adding that "special circumstances warrant a deviation from the general rules and the public interest would be better served by extending the waiver of the prohibitions."

The extension could be in part due to lobbying from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), since the trade organization suggested to extend updates and patches to previously authorized devices "beyond just one year" in a letter to the FCC. The CTA also requested "further clarification" on the scope of products affected by the ban and more collaboration with the National Security Council and Department of Defense to offer more transparency and guidance to companies who manufacture the affected products.