On July 28, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau released Public Notice DA-26-786, adding two new categories to the FCC Covered List under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019: foreign-produced power inverters and foreign-produced advanced robotic devices. The additions follow National Security Determinations dated July 27, 2026 from a White House-convened Executive Branch interagency body, which found that both device classes pose unacceptable risks to U.S. national security and to the safety of U.S. persons.
Under 47 CFR section 2.903(a), equipment on the Covered List is barred from receiving new FCC equipment authorization. New models of foreign-produced power inverters and advanced robotic devices generally cannot be imported, marketed, or sold in the United States unless they obtain Conditional Approval. Previously authorized models, devices already in consumer hands, and federal government purchases are outside the new prohibition.
What exactly was added to the Covered List, and on what legal basis?
The Bureau updated the Covered List at fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist with two category-based entries dated July 28, 2026:
- Foreign-produced power inverters, except those granted Conditional Approval by the Department of War (DoW) or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
- Foreign-produced advanced robotic devices, except those granted Conditional Approval by DoW.
Under the Secure Networks Act (47 U.S.C. section 1601), the Commission may place equipment on the Covered List only when national security authorities make a qualifying determination. The interagency body defined coverage by place of production, not by named manufacturer: power inverters and advanced robotic devices produced in a foreign country are covered regardless of the nationality of the producer, unless Conditional Approval applies. Advanced robotic devices are defined as mobile robots such as humanoids and quadrupeds. The Commission also issued a companion fact sheet and news release (DOC-423682A1) and dedicated FAQs on robots and inverters.
The findings center on supply-chain and cybersecurity risk: remote connectivity on grid-connected inverters could enable shutoff, data exfiltration, or cyber exploitation of critical infrastructure; networked robotics create attack vectors for physical manipulation, surveillance, or remote commandeering.
Who loses U.S. market access, and what is carved out?
Any producer of power inverters or advanced robotic devices manufactured outside the United States faces an immediate equipment-authorization bar for new models within the Covered List definitions, unless Conditional Approval is granted. That hits foreign manufacturers selling into U.S. solar, storage, and grid-edge markets, foreign robotics OEMs shipping humanoids or quadrupeds, and U.S. importers whose bill of materials depends on foreign-produced units in those categories. TCBs, test labs, and applicants must treat the new categories as covered equipment under 47 CFR section 2.911(d)(5)(i).
Carve-outs:
- New-model only: existing FCC-authorized models may still be imported, marketed, and sold.
- Installed base: consumers may keep using devices they already own.
- Federal procurement: purchases and use by federal agencies are not affected.
- Conditional Approval: DoW or DHS (inverters) and DoW (robots) may clear a specific device or class as not posing unacceptable risk.
Because the entries are category-based rather than entity-named, place of production is the operative test, not the affiliate overlay that applies to named Covered List entities.
| Obligation or status | Before July 28, 2026 | From July 28, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| New foreign-produced power inverter models | Eligible for FCC authorization if otherwise compliant | Covered List; authorization barred unless Conditional Approval (DoW or DHS) |
| New foreign-produced advanced robotic device models | Eligible for FCC authorization if otherwise compliant | Covered List; authorization barred unless Conditional Approval (DoW) |
| Previously authorized models / installed devices | Authorized and in commerce | Unaffected; continued import, sale, and consumer use of prior models allowed |
| Federal government purchase and use | Outside this equipment-authorization bar | Still outside the new prohibition |
What should compliance and supply-chain teams do now?
Map every inverter and advanced-robotics SKU destined for the U.S. market against place of production and against the National Security Determination definitions in Appendices B and C to DA-26-786. Flag any new-model authorization pipeline that would need a Covered List certification under section 2.911: those filings cannot proceed for covered foreign-produced units without Conditional Approval.
Where U.S. market access remains essential, prepare Conditional Approval packages using the Power Inverters or Advanced Robotic Devices Guidance Documents referenced in the Public Notice, and submit to [email protected]. Alternatives include shifting to domestic production, relying on already-authorized legacy models while they remain sellable, or substituting non-covered architectures. Downstream solar EPCs, utilities, and robotics integrators should audit supplier attestations before purchase orders lock in units that cannot clear FCC authorization.
Teams that monitor FCC Covered List updates across jurisdictions will catch category expansions like this one as soon as the Bureau publishes them, rather than discovering the bar at the TCB desk.
Take advantage of this real-time watch
Next steps: confirm whether each U.S.-bound inverter or advanced robotic device is foreign-produced under the determination definitions; freeze new-model FCC filings that would fail the Covered List certification; brief trade, customs, and product teams on the July 28, 2026 effective date; and, where needed, file for Conditional Approval or re-source. Obsidian tracks these national-security overlays on equipment authorization so compliance leads can act on the same day the Public Notice lands.
