2026-09-12 · Michigan · Regulation

What happened. The FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau added foreign-produced power inverters to the Covered List by Public Notice DA 26-786 on 28 July 2026, then modified the entry by Public Notice DA 26-870 on 20 August 2026 — WC Docket 18-89, ET Docket 21-232, EA Docket 21-233.¹

Equipment on the Covered List cannot obtain the FCC equipment authorisation required for lawful importation and marketing in the United States, absent Conditional Approval.

What the August modification changed

Acting on a second National Security Determination from the Department of War dated 19 August 2026, the Bureau:

• excluded foreign-produced inverters that are eligible for the section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Tax Credit as modified by Public Law 119-21 § 70514 — the Department determined those “should be removed from the FCC's Covered List as not foreign-produced”; and
• confirmed the entry reaches wired connectivity, not only wireless: inverters that “contain, or are designed, equipped, or configured to accept, a component that enables remote communication, control, sensing, data-collection, or monitoring through Ethernet or other similar connections” pose the same risk.

Why this collides with Michigan law

Since 2 April 2026, every Michigan homeowners association has been required to hold a written solar energy policy under 2024 PA 68, and the association cannot prohibit a member from installing a solar energy system. Any rooftop array on a Michigan roof needs a utility-interactive, remotely monitored inverter — precisely the class the Covered List entry reaches.

So a federal supply-side restriction now sits on top of a state statute that removes the association's power to say no.

1. FCC Public Notice DA 26-870, modification of the power inverters entry on the Covered List, 20 August 2026 ↩
2. FCC, Covered List FAQs — robots and inverters ↩
3. MCL 559.309 — the exhaustive list of grounds on which a Michigan association may deny a solar application ↩