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ARTICLE · 04 AUGUST 2026

FCC Adds Foreign-Produced Advanced Robotic Devices To The Covered List: Five Things To Know

K&L Gates
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The Federal Communications Commission has added foreign-produced advanced robotic devices to its Covered List of equipment posing national security risks, effectively barring new models from US market authorization. The listing reaches further than expected—encompassing consumer products like robot vacuums and lawn mowers—while documented security incidents involving thousands of compromised devices provide concrete evidence supporting the agency's determination. Companies face immediate complia

United StatesGovernment, Public Sector
Guillermo S. Christensen
Guillermo S. Christensen
Sanjeev Bhasker
Sanjeev Bhasker
Marne Marotta
Marne Marotta
David J. Skillman
David J. Skillman
Scott J. Gelbman
Scott J. Gelbman

On 28 July 2026, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau released Public Notice DA 26-786, adding foreign-produced advanced robotic devices and, separately, foreign-produced power inverters to the FCC’s Covered List (the list of communications equipment and services that the FCC has determined pose an unacceptable risk to US national security, maintained pursuant to the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019)—and, as the points below show, it is not the last word on the subject either. The robotics listing bars new foreign-produced humanoid, quadruped, and other mobile robot models from the equipment authorization required to import, market, or sell them in the United States. It is best understood as part of the same accelerating campaign that produced the power inverter listing, not a standalone action.

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