Making Tech Headlines · Page 9
The FCC Meets a Router That Dressed for a Children's Party
· New York time
Minions-themed routers are capable networking devices, but they are under threat from the FCC. Their yellow cartoon appearance puts a conspicuous character on a product normally expected to sit quietly and keep the internet working. The regulatory scrutiny gives the cheerful casing an unusually serious backdrop. A household router is infrastructure, however playful its design, and the agency's interest is in the device rather than its ability to brighten a shelf. The available reporting does not establish that owners will be required to stop using one. The contrast is difficult to improve upon: a gadget built to make networking look friendly has become part of a regulatory story. Most routers communicate their personality through blinking lights. This one arrived wearing a mascot and still found that federal attention is not a character feature.
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