The FCC granted Netgear the first exemption from its ban on foreign-made routers, but declined to explain the decision or reveal what justification Netgear submitted. The exemption covers Netgear's Nighthawk and Orbi routers through October 2027 and can be renewed—Adtran also received an identical exemption. The secrecy matters because nearly every major US router maker (Google, Amazon, Ubiquiti, Linksys) relies on overseas manufacturing, so the exemption process will determine which companies can actually sell new routers in America going forward. The ban appears to target consumer devices while largely exempting business networking gear despite similar national security risks.