Cybersecurity Policy Report, UAS Vendor Faces Potential Addition to FCC’s ‘Covered List’, (Aug 10, 2026)

By Lynn Stanton

The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology are proposing to prohibit the continued importation and marketing of “certain communications and video surveillance equipment listed in section 1709 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025 NDAA), added to the Covered List in December 2025.”

In December 2025, pursuant to a national security determination by an executive branch interagency body, the PSHSB added all uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and UAS critical components produced in a foreign country to the covered list of equipment and services deemed to pose an unacceptable national security risk, as well as communications and video surveillance equipment and services listed in section 1709 of the FY 2025 NDAA (CPR, Jan. 5).

The proposed prohibitions would apply to “all covered equipment produced by Anzu Robotics, LLC (‘Anzu’) and their affiliates, subsidiaries, and other partners,” specifically, FCC IDS 2BBYS-RAPTOR and 2BBYS-RRC01, the PSHSB and OET said in a public notice released today in PS docket 26-184.

The notice said that “[p]ublic sources suggest that Anzu devices are produced by an entity with a technology sharing or licensing agreement with an entity named in section 1709 and thus are considered covered equipment. Anzu’s UAS and UAS controllers would also be covered equipment because they are produced in Malaysia, a foreign country. On August 3, 2026, OET temporarily deferred the grantee codes of these companies based on publicly available information that this company is producing covered equipment, which is prohibited from receiving equipment authorization.”

The proposed prohibitions would not extend to importation or marketing for use by the federal government or for commercial testing and product development, the notice said, nor would the proposed prohibitions affect continued use or operation of already-purchased covered equipment.

“We seek comment on these proposals and the relevant factors, including national security, economic, and supply chain considerations, that would justify prohibiting the continued importation and marketing of such previously authorized covered equipment,” the notice said.

“We tentatively conclude that our proposed action would not have substantial economic and supply chain impacts, especially given that the devices subject to our proposed limitation appear to comprise a very small share of the market. Anzu does not appear in major industry market analyses or rankings,” it added.

“On the other hand, we seek comment on any economic benefits that might arise as a result of these prohibitions. We note that after the initial update to the Covered List, billions of dollars have already been raised by domestic UAS producers, creating thousands of U.S. manufacturing jobs. Additionally, billions more have been committed for domestic production of UAS and UAS critical components, which are expected to generate additional jobs,” the notice said.

“We propose that Anzu must cease all importation and marketing activities within 30 days after publication in the Federal Register,” it added.

Comments are due 30 days after the publication of a notice in the Federal Register.

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