US Router Ban

US Router Ban

From Let's Know Things by Colin Wright

April 7, 2026 · 13 min

About this episode

This episode discusses modems, WiFi, government subsidies, and the FCC, with a focus on Huawei and related topics.

This week we talk about modems, WiFi, and kinda sorta bribes. We also discuss Huawei, government subsidies, and the FCC. Recommended Book: Replaceable You by Mary Roach Transcript Many homes, those with WiFi connections to the internet, have two different devices they use to make that connectivity happen. The first is a modem, which is what connects directly to your internet service provider, often via an ethernet jack in the wall that connects to a series of cables webbed throughout your city. The second is a router, which plugs into the modem and then spreads that signal, derived from that network of city-wide cables around your home, either by splitting that single ethernet jack into multiple ethernet jacks, allowing multiple devices to plug into that network, or by creating a wireless signal, WiFi, that multiple devices can connect to wirelessly in the same way. Many routers will have both options, though in most homes and for most modern devices, WiFi tends to be the more common access point because of its convenience, these days. That WiFi signal, and the connection provided via those additional ethernet ports on the router, create what’s called a Local Area Network of…

People in this episode

Host: Colin Wright

Topics covered

  • modems
  • WiFi
  • government subsidies
  • FCC
  • Huawei
  • internet connectivity

Keywords

  • modem
  • router
  • WiFi
  • Huawei
  • FCC
  • internet service provider
  • local area network
  • government subsidies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Huawei, FCC

Books & works: Replaceable You

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