Starlink Routers Receive Conditional Approval and Exemption From FCC Covered List

The Federal Communications Commission's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau maintains a list of equipment and services (Covered List) that have been determined to “pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons.” The Executive Branch interagency body established a process by which entities producing routers in foreign countries can request the Department of War (DoW) or the Department of Homeland Security to evaluate whether such devices do not pose unacceptable risks to national security and receive Conditional Approvals that would exempt such devices from the Covered List. The FCC has updated the Covered List to reflect the Conditional Approvals that the Commission has received from the DoW exempting certain routers from the Covered List. DoW has reviewed the submission and granted Conditional Approval for SpaceX Services, Inc.’s Starlink routers (terminating February 1, 2028).