The Federal Communications Commission announced a ban on consumer routers manufactured abroad, targeting devices that could pose national security risks. The move has triggered legal action from four U.S. states, which accuse TP-Link of misleading consumers about the origins and security of its networking equipment.

Florida, Montana, Iowa and Nebraska filed suits alleging the company concealed its connections to China and downplayed vulnerabilities that could allow foreign actors to access user data. Attorney General James Uthmeier of Florida stated the state would seek an injunction, consumer restitution and civil penalties, citing concerns that compromised routers might funnel information to the Chinese government.

TP-Link, which established its U.S. headquarters in California in late 2024 following investigations into cyber incidents involving its devices, disputes the claims. The company maintains that all routers sold in the United States are assembled in Vietnam and operated independently of foreign government influence. It has provided documentation to regulators to support these assertions.

The disputes come as the FCC’s ban, implemented under the previous administration, exempts certain manufacturers that have demonstrated compliance with domestic production requirements. Companies such as Netgear, Asus, Adtran, Amazon’s Eero, Calix, Nokia, and SpaceX’s Starlink division have received exemptions, while TP-Link remains restricted from marketing newer Wi-Fi 8 models in the U.S. Existing inventory may still be sold.

TP-Link’s corporate affairs officer, Steve Kovsky, characterized the coordinated state actions as based on inaccurate assumptions and warned they could hinder rather than enhance security efforts. The company has not commented further beyond its public statements regarding manufacturing locations and corporate structure.

The situation reflects broader tensions between technology supply chains and national security policy, with regulatory scrutiny likely to influence future market access for networking hardware assembled outside the United States.