The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering its broadest drone sales restrictions yet, proposing a ban on the commercial import and sale of certain foreign-made drones while simultaneously giving trusted manufacturers more certainty to keep doing business in the US.
The agency has announced two related actions this week aimed at strengthening what it calls a secure US drone supply chain. One extends key exemptions for drones that have already cleared government security reviews. The other launches a public comment period on whether the FCC should prohibit the import, marketing, or sale of certain foreign-produced military-grade drones and drone components already on its Covered List.
Trusted drones get more certainty
The latest move builds on the FCC’s decision last December to add certain foreign-produced drones and critical drone components to its Covered List after the Executive Branch determined they posed unacceptable national security risks.
That decision blocked new FCC equipment authorizations for covered drones entering the US market. However, the agency also created several important exceptions for products it determined did not raise the same concerns.
