Visitors learn details about an agricultural drone in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on June 29. [Photo/Xinhua]
For Tony Zenari, a drone is a tool as essential as a tractor, used daily to check on crops, monitor weed control and track flooding in his fields. For Nick Grott, a combat veteran, agricultural drone applications gave him a professional purpose, something he had searched for since his honorable discharge. And for William B. Blaylock II, a drone is what lets him inspect rooftops and farm buildings, and search for lost or injured cattle across wide stretches of land in a fraction of the time it once took.
Their stories, submitted as public comments to the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), are among more than 32,000 filed by US farmers, agricultural spray operators, search-and-rescue teams and small business owners calling for the reversal of a ban on Chinese-made drones. They say the technology has transformed how they work, and the sudden cutoff, they warn, would inflict real and immediate harm.
The FCC announced in December that it would add all new foreign-made drones and critical components, including those from Chinese drone maker DJI, to its "covered list" of communications equipment and services deemed to pose "an unacceptable risk" to US national security. While the agency has since exempted some drones from the list, the restrictions still fall short of clearing the way for camera-equipped drones made by DJI and another Chinese manufacturer, Autel.
