Cybersecurity Policy Report, UAS Makers, Users Urge FCC to Reverse ‘Covered List’ Decision, (May 13, 2026)

By Lynn Stanton

Drone manufacturers and users have urged the FCC to reverse its December 2025 decision to add foreign-produced uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and UAS critical components to the Commission’s “covered list” of equipment and services deemed a national security risk to U.S. communications networks.

The addition of UAS and UAS critical components to the covered list followed the issuing of “a specific determination” by an executive branch interagency body “that UAS and UAS critical component parts that are produced in foreign countries pose ‘unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States and to the safety and security of U.S. persons’ and should be included on the FCC’s Covered List, unless the Department of War or the Department of Homeland Security makes a specific determination to the FCC that a given UAS, class of UAS, or UAS critical component does not pose such risks,” the FCC said in a fact sheet issued alongside the Dec. 22, 2025, public notice (CPR, Jan. 5).

SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd. filed a petition for reconsideration (CPR, Jan. 23) and Autel Robotics Co. Ltd. filed an application for review of the December 2025 decision.

The Department of Defense and other parties have urged the FCC to reject the SZ DJI and Autel petitions (CPR, April 7).

In a filing submitted yesterday in ET dockets 26-22 (DJI) and 26-23 (Autel), the Drone Service Providers Alliance said that “several opposition filings move too quickly from the existence of risk to the conclusion that an undifferentiated prohibition is the only legally defensible or operationally responsible response. That conclusion is not adequately supported by the record.”

It added, “DSPA’s position is that the Commission should not use national security concerns to justify an undifferentiated prohibition when a more defensible framework is available. A risk-appropriate framework would restrict high-risk systems and high-risk use cases, establish cybersecurity standards for all UAS, preserve low-risk and offline operations under defined safeguards, and provide transition rules for public agencies and small businesses that lawfully acquired and integrated these systems.”

DSPA said the FCC should (1) “separate DJI and Autel-specific determinations from broader country-of-origin restrictions”; (2) “distinguish countries of concern from allied and trusted supply chains”; (3) “create mission-based risk tiers”; (4) “allow continued use of lawfully acquired legacy systems for low-risk operations under defined safeguards”; (5) “adopt baseline cybersecurity standards for all UAS, including domestic UAS”; and (6) “provide transition rules and emergency-use flexibility.”

DSPA said the FCC should also (7) “clarify treatment of batteries, repair parts, payloads, firmware, controllers, software, docking stations, cloud services, and other components”; (8) “include end users, small businesses, public agencies, commercial operators, agricultural users, utility contractors, and emergency-response users in implementation”; (9) “create predictable waiver timelines and objective standards”; and (10) “expressly address end-user impacts, reliance interests, cybersecurity alternatives, and less restrictive implementation options in any order resolving the pending petitions.”

Jason Rister, owner and chief UAS pilot for Northern Shore Technologies LLC, d/b/a Strategic Air Captures, also urged the FCC to reverse its December decision.

He said the ban on foreign-made drones was “a direct and active attack on American small businesses, educators, photographers, videographers, and independent contractors.”

Mr. Rister said, “Drone hardware inherently has a limited operational life and inevitably requires replacement over time. Because there are currently no suitable replacements with equivalent or better capabilities within our price range, this ban pushes our businesses toward an unavoidable operational cliff.”

“There are currently no existing U.S. manufacturers producing affordable, high-quality drones suited for our specific market segment. The photography, videography, and small-scale thermal imaging sectors require reliable, advanced sensor technology and flight stability at a price point that makes a small business model viable,” he added.

Unmanned Vehicle Technologies LLC criticized the lack of “verifiable evidence, proportional analysis, and a realistic understanding of the consequences that follow from regulatory action” in the proceeding. It added, “The record in this proceeding, as currently constituted, does not support the conclusion that a blanket prohibition on DJI equipment authorizations is either necessary or appropriate.”

Autel and SZ DJI also submitted replies to oppositions that emphasized, among other things, the lack of an opportunity to respond during the interagency process that led to the determination that foreign-made drones were unacceptable risks to national security.

Many other small drone businesses also filed in reply to the oppositions.

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