Cybersecurity Policy Report, Toy Drones Removed From FCC’s ‘Covered List’, (Jun 17, 2026)

By Lynn Stanton

The Department of Defense has determined that a class of foreign-produced uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) known as toy drones, as well toy drones that contain foreign-produced components, “do not pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or to the safety and security of United States persons,” and thus have been removed from the FCC’s “covered list” of services and equipment deemed an unacceptable risk to U.S. telecommunications networks, the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau announced in a public notice in WC docket 18-89, ET docket 21-232, and EA docket 21-233.

The FCC added UAS and UAS critical components produced in foreign countries to the covered list in December, following an executive branch interagency determination that they posed unacceptable risks (CPR, Jan. 5). Since then, the FCC has removed certain foreign-produced UAS and components from the list following Department of Defense determinations that they do not pose security threats, such as those on the department’s Blue UAS Cleared List and those qualifying as domestic end products under the Buy American standard and certain UAS specified by the department, in addition to waiving bans on certain security updates for UAS and critical components on the covered list.

The National Security Determination regarding toy drones, which the FCC received last Friday, said, “The core of this determination rests on a clear distinction between unsophisticated, low-risk toys that are not capable of operating efficiently in U.S. airspace and more capable UAS. Toy drones lack the organic capabilities and features in range, endurance, sensing, payload, connectivity, and data collection and storage to present an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security and the safety and security of U.S. persons.”

The National Security Determination criteria for being considered a toy drone include a maximum take-off weight of 150 grams or less; operations limited to line-of-sight at 100 meters or less; maximum sustained altitude of 300 feet or less; no GPS/GNSS (global navigation satellite system) or equivalent usage; no Internet, Wi-Fi, apps, or cellular connectivity or network capability; and no imaging or sensing capabilities. A toy drone must also have a flight time of less than 10 minutes and a maximum horizontal speed of 10 meters per second; be explicitly marketed as a toy for recreational use; have no modular payload interface; not contain brushless motors; and not be produced by an entity identified in section 1709 of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

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