AT&T gets FCC one-year waiver for certified router component changes

AT&T received a one-year waiver from the US Federal Communications Commission in 2025 to make limited hardware changes to previously certified routers.

TL;DR

• The FCC granted AT&T a one-year waiver for previously certified routers.
• The waiver covers substrate material substitutions in chipsets and memory module swaps.
• AT&T said previously certified routers could disappear from production lines without the waiver.

The US Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, granted AT&T a one-year waiver after AT&T warned that previously certified routers could disappear from production lines. The source attributes the supply issue to an ongoing RAM shortage.

The waiver allows AT&T to make limited modifications to routers that were already certified. The approved changes include substituting substrate materials in chipsets and swapping memory modules.

Android Authority said the FCC had implemented a ban in March on foreign-made routers with ties to adversarial governments, while previously approved hardware was expected to remain unaffected. The report said AT&T's waiver addresses complications affecting previously certified hardware.

Related questions

• What hardware changes does the FCC waiver allow AT&T to make to certified routers?
• Why did AT&T say previously certified routers could disappear from production lines?
• How long does the FCC waiver for AT&T remain in effect?