Why It Matters
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) added foreign-produced routers to its Covered List in March 2026, barring new models from receiving FCC authorization, as NETGEAR Inc. is on record lobbying on networking technology, cybersecurity requirements, data-protection standards, and manufacturing.
By the Numbers
King & Spalding LLP reported $180,000 for the third quarter of 2026, unchanged from the amended second-quarter 2026 filing. King & Spalding LLP had no filing for NETGEAR in the third quarter of 2025, so no same-registrant year-over-year comparison is available.
Crossroads Strategies LLC filed a separate third-quarter 2026 report for NETGEAR at $60,000. NETGEAR's combined spend across both registrants reached $240,000 in the third quarter of 2026. The combined total grew from $80,000 in the fourth quarter of 2025 to $135,000 in the first quarter of 2026 to $240,000 in the second quarter of 2026, where it held steady in the third quarter.
David Stone, a partner at King & Spalding LLP, is the sole lobbyist listed on the filing; the records show no prior government service.
Broader Context
An interagency national-security determination concluded that foreign-produced routers posed unacceptable risks, and the FCC updated its Covered List to bar new foreign-made consumer router models from receiving FCC authorization.
The White House published President Trump's cybersecurity strategy in March 2026, and in June 2026 President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing coordinated executive-branch action on artificial intelligence and security.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) submitted its draft final rule implementing the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act (CIRCIA) to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for interagency review as of Oct. 1; as of Oct. 20, that review remained a step before publication, not a finalized rule.
The House introduced H.R. 1709, the Understanding Cybersecurity of Mobile Networks Act, on Feb. 27, 2025, sponsored by Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH-1), with Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) as an original cosponsor; it was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and no Senate companion or later action has been recorded.
On manufacturing, a Consumer Technology Association (CTA) study released Oct. 6 said full U.S. reshoring of technology-product manufacturing would raise production costs by 41% to 152%, while partial reshoring could raise them by up to 67%. A June 2025 Omdia report sponsored by the Connectivity Standards Alliance found that Internet of Things (IoT) security standards remain fragmented across regions, citing an Omdia forecast of 52.2 billion installed IoT devices by 2026.
The Bottom Line
NETGEAR's combined lobbying spend held at its highest recorded level through the third quarter of 2026, with the King & Spalding team reduced by one lobbyist from the prior quarter.
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