Sponsors (4)
The bill funds a study to identify national‑security risks in consumer networking equipment and inform government mitigation—improving awareness and policy options—but it may delay immediate protections, raise costs if restrictions follow, and risk broad or ambiguous measures that affect vendors' rights and consumers' privacy.
Taxpayers, homeowners, and small-business owners will have national security risks from consumer routers/modems tied to certain foreign actors identified, enabling better understanding of exposure.
State and federal agencies (and indirectly small businesses) will receive information to guide targeted mitigation (e.g., guidance, procurement limits), improving the government's ability to respond.
Homeowners and small-business owners will gain increased public awareness about supply-chain vulnerabilities in consumer networking equipment, helping consumers make more informed purchasing and security decisions.
Small-business owners and homeowners could face higher prices or procurement costs if later policies restrict devices from covered countries (e.g., compliance, sourcing changes).
Small-business owners and taxpayers could see privacy and civil‑liberties risks if ambiguous 'subject to the influence' language leads to broad restrictions or scrutiny of vendors with tenuous links to covered countries.
Taxpayers, homeowners, and small-business owners may experience delayed concrete protections because a study and report alone do not immediately restrict insecure devices or provide remedies.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Directs Commerce to study national security risks from consumer routers/modems tied to entities connected to statute-defined "covered countries" and report to Congress within one year.
Introduced January 24, 2025 by Marsha Blackburn · Last progress January 24, 2025
Requires the Secretary of Commerce to study national security risks posed by consumer routers, modems, and combo modem-router devices that are designed, made, or supplied by entities owned, controlled by, or subject to influence from a statute-defined "covered country." The Secretary must consult the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and deliver a report to two congressional committees within one year of enactment. The bill also includes a provision establishing an official short title for the Act but does not itself create new regulatory duties or appropriate funds.