When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) added DJI and Autel equipment to its Covered List, many drone operators feared the move could eventually turn thousands of perfectly functional aircraft into outdated, unsupported hardware. But in a decision released earlier this month, the agency quietly hit pause on what could have become a major operational and cybersecurity headache for the US drone industry.
In a public notice known as DA 26-454, the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology extended a waiver allowing already-authorized DJI, Autel, and certain other covered devices to continue receiving firmware and software updates through at least January 1, 2029. That includes security patches, bug fixes, compatibility improvements, and other updates considered necessary to “mitigate harm to US consumers.”
For America’s commercial drone operators, public safety teams, content creators, infrastructure inspectors, and enterprise IT departments, the decision is a significant one. It means drones already flying legally in the United States are not suddenly headed toward a software dead end.
The FCC’s waiver does not remove DJI or Autel from the Covered List. It does not reopen the door for new equipment authorizations. And it does not change procurement rules tied to programs like Blue UAS or federal government contracts. What it does do is prevent existing aircraft from becoming frozen on old firmware versions while they are still actively being used across industries. That distinction matters enormously.
