The FCC's drone ban brands ordinary consumer tech as 'military-grade', and 98.6% of respondents to the proposal reject it even DJIs main US-based rival Skydio wont fully endorse it

Date:
Fri, 11 Sep 2026 15:24:09 +0000

Description:
The FCC's proposed ban on "military-grade" foreign drones would include ordinary consumer tech like LiDAR and thermal cameras and 98.6% of public comments oppose it, including from a US drone maker with every reason to
cheer the ban on.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter FCC's "military-grade" foreign drone ban definition includes everyday tech like thermal cameras and LiDAR 98.6% of respondent's comments oppose the proposed rule Even Skydio, a US-based drone maker that stands to benefit, won't fully endorse it We've reported before on how the US Federal Communications Commission wants to ban the import and sale of certain "military-grade" drones , most of them
Chinese, on national security grounds. The public comment period on that proposal has now closed and the response leaves the FCC looking massively
out of touch.

An analysis by Pilot Institute of all 3,824 readable filings in FCC docket 26-189 found that 98.6% of commenters oppose the rule as written. Of those, 77% reject it outright, while another 21% say they support the underlying security goal but think the FCC has drawn the rule badly. A paltry 16
filings, or just 0.4%, backed the proposal as it stands. When you look at the economic question specifically, the gap is even starker. The FCC's own tentative conclusion was that the financial impact of a ban would be "minor and contained." Of the 1,701 filings that addressed that point directly,
1,686 described severe harm. Only one filing agreed with the Commission. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

So what counts as "military-grade" under this proposal? According to the FCC, it's any drone with a thermal camera or LiDAR sensor, or one that can dock itself, spray liquid, carry out swarm maneuvers, or weighs 55lbs or more at take-off. If your drone ticks any of those boxes then, in the FCC's eyes,
it's a potential weapon. Military or mainstream? This definition is where the rule starts to smell a lot like overreach. LiDAR sensors aren't exotic military hardware in 2026 they're standard features that drones like DJI 's Mini 5 Pro and Air 3S use for obstacle avoidance. These aren't military
drones they're flying cameras ordinary people use to shoot their cousin's wedding, check their roof for damage or locate a missing hiker. LiDAR is so mainstream that it's built into recent iPhones . You may like The FCC could start banning DJI drones that have previously been approved The FCC is going after companies it suspects are sneaking DJI kit into the US The US
government is banning foreign-made robot vacuums so what does it mean for you?

The 55lb, spraying and self-docking criteria are easier to wave away, since few people (outside of agricultural purposes) fly drones that tick those boxes. But the thermal and LiDAR clauses sweep up exactly the kind of
consumer and prosumer drones that are widely used for photography, content creation, professional inspection and search and rescue.

That gap between the FCC's stated goals and its extremely wide-ranging definition seems to be what the respondents have picked up on. The opposition here spans public safety agencies, farmers, mapping firms, energy companies and hobbyists, all of whom are essentially telling the Commission the same thing: this rule doesn't properly distinguish between a "surveillance platform" and the little camera drone I use for work or fun. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. The Skydio R1 drone unlikely to be banned under the FCC's proposed rules. Perhaps the clearest signal that the rule is too restrictive, though, comes from a company with every commercial incentive to cheer it on. Skydio , the US-based drone maker that has lobbied hard for restrictions on its Chinese competitors, didn't
file in support of the rule as written. Instead, it asked for a "calibrated" approach with a "reasonable transition period". So, even a company positioned to be one of the biggest winners in the event of a Chinese drone ban still isn't willing to back the FCC's version of it.

Whether this near-unanimous pushback changes the ban's scope remains to be seen. Legal challenges already look likely, with DJI and others arguing that the FCC lacks the statutory authority to impose a blanket, origin-based ban
in the first place. But regardless of how this story ends, the comment record makes one thing clear: the government's idea of what constitutes "military-grade" is not shared by the public. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/cameras/drones/the-fccs-drone-ban-brands-ordinary-co nsumer-tech-as-military-grade-and-98-6-percent-of-respondents-to-the-proposal- reject-it-even-djis-main-us-based-rival-skydio-wont-fully-endorse-it


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)