Router import bans as policy chokepoints

When regulators ban foreign‑made networking gear, they create a single legal lever that can abruptly cut off products, reshape supply chains, and force firms to re‑tool manufacturing or seek case‑by‑case exemptions. A conditional exemption process (Defense Department review + FCC device certification) becomes the battleground for firms that make hardware overseas but sell in the U.S. — This framing highlights how a single equipment‑import rule becomes a strategic tool affecting national security, trade policy, and industrial strategy for both companies and governments.