{"id":144983,"date":"2026-05-18T20:12:03","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T20:12:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/att-warns-of-router-shortage-fcc-responds-with-limited-one-year-waiver\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T20:13:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T20:13:31","slug":"att-warns-of-router-shortage-fcc-responds-with-limited-one-year-waiver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/att-warns-of-router-shortage-fcc-responds-with-limited-one-year-waiver\/","title":{"rendered":"AT&#038;T warns of router shortage, FCC responds with limited one-year waiver"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-content-wrapper=\"true\">\n<div class=\"e_f\">\n<div class=\"e_St\" style=\"max-width:1920px\"><picture class=\"e_qg\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;aspect-ratio:1920 \/ 1080\"><source sizes=\"(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ATT-logo-stock-image-2.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ATT-logo-stock-image-2-1536w-864h.jpg.webp 1536w, https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ATT-logo-stock-image-2-675w-380h.jpg.webp 675w, https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ATT-logo-stock-image-2-64w-36h.jpg.webp 64w, https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ATT-logo-stock-image-2-1000w-563h.jpg.webp 1000w, https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ATT-logo-stock-image-2-300w-170h.jpg.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ATT-logo-stock-image-2-1280w-720h.jpg.webp 1280w, https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ATT-logo-stock-image-2-840w-472h.jpg.webp 840w\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><\/picture>\n<div class=\"e_1v e_Tt\">\n<p>Edgar Cervantes \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-container-type=\"content\" class=\"e_ek e_e e_Y\">\n<p>TL;DR<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The FCC has granted AT&#038;T a one-year waiver to allow limited hardware modifications to already certified routers.<\/li>\n<li>The waiver allows AT&#038;T to change the substrate material in the chipset and swap out memory modules.<\/li>\n<li>Carriers warn that previously certified routers could disappear from production lines<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e_e e_Y\">\n<p>Back in March, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) implemented a ban on all foreign-made routers, ruling that products associated with adversarial governments pose an &#8220;unacceptable risk&#8221; to US infrastructure and citizens. While the ban is designed to prevent new foreign-made models from entering the country, previously approved hardware is believed to be unaffected. Despite this, it looks like the ongoing RAM shortage is causing some unexpected complications, at least for AT&#038;T. However, ISPs will now have a year to get everything right.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e_e e_7l e_6l\" data-container-type=\"content\">\n<div class=\"e_e e_Y\">\n<p><strong>Don&#8217;t want to miss the best of <em>Android Authority<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e_e e_mn\"><picture class=\"e_qn e_rn e_qg\" style=\"padding-top:31.51%;aspect-ratio:676 \/ 213\"><source sizes=\"9.375rem\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png.webp 676w, https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x-64w-20h.png.webp 64w\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><img class=\"e_rg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"9.375rem\" title=\"Google Preferred Source Badge Lite@2x\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png 676w, https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x-64w-20h.png 64w\" alt=\"Google Preferred Source Badge Lite@2x\" src=\"https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png\"\/><\/picture><picture class=\"e_qn e_qg\" style=\"padding-top:31.51%;aspect-ratio:676 \/ 213\"><source sizes=\"9.375rem\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png.webp 676w, https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x-64w-20h.png.webp 64w\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><img class=\"e_rg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"9.375rem\" title=\"Google Preferred Source Badge Dark@2x\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png 676w, https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x-64w-20h.png 64w\" alt=\"Google Preferred Source Badge Dark@2x\" src=\"https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e_e e_Y\">\n<h2>AT&#038;T has requested the FCC to allow changes to already certified hardware<\/h2>\n<p>Last week, AT&#038;T introduced a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\/ecfs\/document\/10511064020181\/1\">filing with the fcc<\/a>Alerting the regulatory body to an issue that does not fall within the scope of the current exemption. The issue is related to the current global shortage of materials, which is causing vendors to swap out parts. In the filing, AT&#038;T says:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Two urgent supply chain issues have emerged that require permissible hardware changes that are not covered by existing exemptions and require prompt action by the OET (FCC Office of Engineering and Technology): global shortages in essential substrate materials and memory modules.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>AT&#038;T says a manufacturer can no longer source the chipset it previously used to produce certified routers. The company claims that &#8220;a special type of substrate used in the chipsets of routers is being phased out.&#8221; As a result, they need to find substitute new substrate materials to continue production. Meanwhile, the RAM shortage has been its own headache, requiring suppliers to &#8220;adapt and find new sources of memory components&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e_e e_Y\">\n<p>AT&#038;T argues that without the flexibility to make limited changes, its approved routers could disappear from production lines. If this occurs, it could cause outages of customer premises equipment such as residential gateways.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e_e e_Y\">\n<h2>FCC gives AT&#038;T leeway to make limited changes<\/h2>\n<p>The FCC now has <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.fcc.gov\/public\/attachments\/DA-26-491A1.pdf\">granted<\/a> AT&#038;T has a one-year grace period that allows it to make limited hardware modifications on its previously certified routers. AT&#038;T will now be allowed to make changes to substitute substrate material and memory modules in its residential gateways. However, under this exemption, alterations cannot improve the performance of the device, alter core functionality, be used to market the product, or swap out a US-made part for a non-US-made part.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"e_e e_Y\">\n<p>According to the document, the exemption will remain in effect till May 2027.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-container-type=\"content\">\n<div class=\"e_8c e_Y\">\n<p>Thank you for being a part of our community. Please read our comment policy before posting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Edgar Cervantes \/ Android Authority TL;DR The FCC has granted AT&#038;T a one-year waiver to allow limited hardware modifications to already certified routers. The waiver allows AT&#038;T to change the substrate material in the chipset and swap out memory modules. Carriers warn that previously certified routers could disappear from production lines Back in March, the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":144985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[18784,21432,5832,9370,4571,9043,1227,19642,235],"class_list":["post-144983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-devotionals","tag-att","tag-fcc","tag-limited","tag-oneyear","tag-responds","tag-router","tag-shortage","tag-waiver","tag-warns"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144983"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":144986,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144983\/revisions\/144986"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}