On Monday, the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission banned all new foreign-made drone models from distribution in the United States, citing “national security concerns.” Americans who already own older foreign drone models will still be able to use those products, the government said.
In a fact sheet published Monday, the FCC argued that “criminals, hostile foreign actors and terrorists” could use drones “to present new and serious threats to our homeland.” As a result, the agency said it had updated its covered list — which is a list of products that have been “deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security” of the country — to include all “UAS and UAS critical components manufactured abroad.”
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Monday that he approved the policy. “I welcome this national security provision from the Executive Branch, and I am pleased that the FCC has now added foreign drones and related components that pose an unacceptable national security risk to the FCC’s covered list,” Carr said. “Following President Trump’s lead, the FCC will work closely with U.S. drone manufacturers to unleash U.S. drone dominance.”
The new rule will obviously affect many different companies, but it is destined to deal a blow to the Chinese drone manufacturer DJI, which is currently considered to be the dominant player in drone sales globally. In fact, DJI is considered one of the most popular drone brands for American consumers.
When TechCrunch reached out for comment, DJI said it did not approve of the decision. “DJI is disappointed by the Federal Communications Commission’s action today to add foreign-made drones to the covered list. Although DJI was not named, no information has been released about what information was used by the executive branch to reach its decision.”
The company, which said it remained committed to the US market, continued: “As an industry leader, DJI has advocated for an open, competitive market that benefits all US consumers and commercial users and will continue to do so. DJI products are among the safest and most secure on the market, backed by years of reviews by US government agencies and independent third parties.”
Throughout his many presidential administrations, Trump has repeatedly played hardball with Chinese companies. His administration laid the groundwork for the new drone ban with an executive order passed in June that sought to boost production of U.S.-made drones and thus foster a “strong and secure domestic drone sector” while securing “the U.S. drone supply chain against foreign control or exploitation.”