WASHINGTON—In an important development for news organizations and video producers using drones, the Federal Communications Commission updated its Covered List of banned products to remove four Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS). The agency made the move after the Department of War (DoW) determined they do to not pose national security risks:
The Covered List is a listing of products that can not be sold in the U.S.
In December of 2025, following an interagency determination of unacceptable national security risks, the FCC added all UAS and UAS critical components produced in a foreign country to the Covered List, preventing them getting approval for the import or sale of new models in the U.S.
Article continues belowThe agency stressed that the ban is on the sale of new models and products that have not been approved. Owners of existing products from DJI and other manufacturers who were put on the Covered list can still be used and operated, though getting parts to repair them could pose problems.
In January of this year, DoW made a further determination that (until Jan. 1, 2027), three types of UAS and UAS critical components do not pose security risks and the FCC removed them from Covered List.
Those three types are: (1) UAS and UAS critical components included on DoW’s Blue UAS Cleared List; (2) UAS and UAS critical components that qualify as “domestic end products” under the Buy American Standard; and (3) UAS and UAS critical components that receive “Conditional Approval.”
On March 18, the FCC received its first batch of Conditional Approvals and updated the Covered List accordingly to exempt “devices which have been granted Conditional Approval.”
The four exemptions are:
- SiFly Aviation, Inc. Q12 Uncrewed Aircraft System
- Mobilicom SkyHopper Series / M Band / Tactical Data Link, Various Controllers, and ICE, OS3 Security Software
- ScoutDI Scout 137 Uncrewed Aircraft System
- Verge, Inc. X1 Uncrewed Aircraft System
