FCC Proposal Could Ban Chinese Drones That Were Previously Approved
The Federal Communications Commission is considering outlawing drones from Chinese multinational technology firm DJI that had previously been approved. And while Chinese products are no stranger to import restrictions, this injunction would target their alleged capabilities as much as their country of origin.
On the one hand, this is hardly surprising. The U.S. prohibits the import of certain Chinese products in the robotics, telecommunications, military, and power inverter categories and anything deemed to be a national security risk.
So dropping the ban hammer on Chinese drones? Nothing new. All along, the fear was that advanced drones, telecom equipment, and other tech from the People’s Republic could funnel sensitive information back to Beijing. This isn’t too crazy, given that every Chinese company maintains at least loose ties with the PRC and Chinese juggernauts like TikTok (and its American contemporaries) famously data harvest user info.
But this new proposal is mostly aimed at the drones’ alleged capabilities, going after “military-grade” drones. For what it’s worth, on its blog, DJI states emphatically that “does not design or manufacture military-grade equipment, nor has it marketed or sold its products for military use.”
And DJI’s repertoire certainly doesn’t fit the traditional definition of “military grade”, though the company warns that the new restrictions could snag drones in commercial, agricultural, recreational, and public safety applications with features like LiDAR sensing, thermal imaging, and aerosol-dispersing systems.
If the proposal goes through, the FCC wouldn’t confiscate existing drones in the wild, but they would be banned from future sale, and replacement parts could be hard to come by.
The FCC is accepting public comments on the proposal through September 2.
