WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal

Communications Commission said on Tuesday it will allow Chinese

drones and consumer routers sold in the United States to get

critical software updates at least through the end of 2028.

The FCC in recent months banned the import of new models of

Chinese drones and routers as Washington has cracked down on

Chinese tech companies for reasons of national security, fearing

cyber intrusions.

But it continues to allow previously approved versions to be

imported and sold. The FCC said it is allowing software and

firmware updates that address harm to U.S. consumers.

Consumer routers are boxes connecting computers, phones, and

​smart devices to the internet. The FCC said the change will

ensure U.S. consumers receive "all software and firmware updates

to ensure the continued functionality of the devices, such as

those that patch vulnerabilities and facilitate compatibility

with different operating systems."

The FCC is separately considering whether to ban the import

of Chinese equipment from a group of manufacturers after

previously barring the import or sale of their new models in

2022.

The ban would add telecommunications and video surveillance

equipment made by Huawei, ZTE (Shenzhen:000063), Hytera,

Hikvision and Dahua to the FCC's

so-called "Covered List" of companies posing U.S. national

security risks. Hikvision has filed suit to block the plan.

The proposal would not include banning previously approved

Chinese drones or routers.

On April 30, the FCC voted to advance a proposal to bar all

Chinese labs from testing electronic ‌devices such as

smartphones, cameras and computers for use in the United States.

The FCC says about 75% of all U.S. electronics are tested in

China.

The FCC also voted to advance a proposal to bar China Mobile

, China Telecom and China ​Unicom

from operating data centers in the U.S. and could ban

telecom carriers ​from interconnecting with companies deemed

security threats.

The FCC is also considering barring interconnection with

companies that ​own data centers or points of presence at U.S.

internet exchange points, ​extending restrictions to some

affiliates of listed firms, and prohibiting interconnection with

carriers using equipment from ‌suppliers ⁠on the "Covered List".