Cybersecurity Policy Report, Bill Targeting Foreign-Made Routers Clears Senate as Defense Bill Amendment, (Oct 10, 2025)
Legislation that would require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to study national security risks associated with some foreign-made routers and modems cleared the Senate yesterday as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security (ROUTERS) Act (S.B. 244, 119th Cong. (2025)) was offered by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) and Ben Ray Luján (D., N.M.).
The bill would order NTIA to “conduct a study of the national security risks posed by consumer routers, modems, and devices that combine a modem and router that are designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied by persons owned by, controlled by, or subject to the influence of a covered country,” according to its text.
Covered countries would include China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela.
The bill cleared the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in March (CPR, March 13). The House passed a version of the bill in April (CPR, April 28).
Yesterday the bill was included in a group of amendments to the NDAA that was passed by voice vote. The Senate passed the fiscal year 2026 NDAA (S 2296) by a vote of 77-20 (see separate story).
News: FederalLegislation DataSecurity