The FCC's Game Changing Vote. By Chris (The Drone Geek) Fravel.

[The Droning Company]

The FCC's Game-Changing Vote

 

[AeroJ]

Not sure the FAA's power yet extends to Emperor stylee red lightning does it ?!

This can't be read as a positive move by any light, but at least it doesn't yet stop you flying your drones.

 

[Ridgeback65]

Not sure the FAA's power yet extends to Emperor stylee red lightning does it ?!

This can't be read as a positive move by any light, but at least it doesn't yet stop you flying your drones.

AeroJ, not sure if you read the same thing I did but that word “retroactive” used by FCC sure says to me that we (current fleet DJI users) could very likely be grounded. While FAA controls the air, the FCC controls the airwaves.

 

[Willeth]

The vote by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) led by Chris Frivel (The Drone Geek) is related to changes in the regulation of frequency use for drones and other technologies. These changes could significantly affect the operation of drones, especially in the frequency spectrum used for their control and data transmission.

 

[wco81]

Currently the FCC is composed of 3 commissioners instead of the usual 5.

Two are Republicans, one is Democrat.

Normally it's 3 to 2 depending on which party is in the WH.

One party is demonstrably worse on most issues but for drones, both parties are awful. NDAA was passed by both parties and signed into law by Biden.

A Biden appointee in the FCC was one of those who voted for this possible revocation of EA for DJI drones.

 

[Capt KO]

Would the use of a cellular dongle bypass the FCC canceling the approval? Seems it would be an alternative solution since phones already use it.

 

[AeroJ]

If DJI do get retro-banned in the states, all protest and opposition fails and it becomes illegal to fly them, then I wonder how long it will be before someone knocks up some 3rd party firmware for DJI UAVs that disables compulsory updates, turns off remote ID, and includes a raft of other avoidance measures allowing people to continue flying undetected, spoof ID'd and unlogged ?

If there was enough level of civil disobedience and people using stealth, counter-measures, and alternative firmware in their drones those law-makers could find themselves in the sort of situation where the very rules they have created (and have remained almost entirely ineffective against true bad actors) merely drive thousands of previously law-abiding pilots underground as well, or move them sideways into FPV, where rules are much harder to enforce and pilots much harder to find !

Of course I couldn't possibly condone or encourage this sort of behaviour, but as that dinosaur documentary I saw a while back taught me, 'Life will find a way !' and so might pilots...