The FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology has granted a one-year waiver requested by NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association and ACA Connects, allowing their members and supporting manufacturers to make limited Class I and Class II hardware permissive changes to consumer-grade routers and broadband gateways that have been placed on the FCC’s Covered List. The FCC determined that strict application of its equipment authorization rules could create supply chain challenges and found that a limited waiver would serve the public interest without undermining the national security objectives of the Covered List regime.
Under the waiver, NTCA and ACA members, listed in Appendix A of the Order, may replace or modify memory modules, substrate materials, and discrete end-of-life components, including diodes, inductors, crystals, and comparable non-RF components, provided the changes do not alter the device’s core functionality and otherwise comply with the Commission’s permissive change requirements. Consistent with a series of similar waivers previously granted to other providers, manufacturers, and industry associations, the FCC concluded that these targeted hardware modifications are necessary to address ongoing supply chain constraints and will help ensure continued broadband service availability while maintaining existing national security protections. The waiver is effective immediately and will remain in place until September 29, 2027.
