The Trump administration's Federal Communications Commission on Monday banned all new models of foreign drones from being distributed in the United States, citing “national security concerns.” Americans who already own older foreign drone models can continue to use them, the government said.
In a fact sheet released Monday, the FCC argued that “criminals, hostile foreign forces, and terrorists” could use drones to “pose new and serious threats to the homeland.” As a result, the agency announced that it has updated the country's target list, a list of products “that are deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to national security,” to include all “unmanned aerial vehicles and critical components of unmanned aerial vehicles produced abroad.”
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Monday he approved the policy. “I welcome this executive branch's national security decision and am pleased that the FCC has added foreign-made drones and related components that pose an unacceptable national security risk to the FCC's target list,” Kerr said. “Following President Trump's leadership, the FCC will work closely with U.S. drone manufacturers to unlock America's drone advantage.”
The new rules will obviously affect many different companies, but are destined to hit Chinese drone manufacturer DJI, which is currently considered the dominant player in global drone sales. In fact, DJI is considered one of the most popular drone brands for American consumers.
When contacted by TechCrunch for comment, DJI said it disapproved of the decision. “DJI is disappointed in the Federal Communications Commission's action today to add foreign-made drones to the target list. DJI was not singled out, but no information has been made public about what information the executive branch used in making its decision.”
The company said it remains focused on the U.S. market. “As an industry leader, DJI advocates for and will continue to advocate for open and competitive markets that benefit all U.S. consumers and commercial users. DJI products are among the safest and most secure on the market, backed by years of reviews by U.S. government agencies and independent third-party organizations.”
Trump has repeatedly taken tough stances on Chinese companies throughout his presidential administrations. The administration laid the groundwork for the new drone ban with an executive order passed in June that aims to expand production of U.S.-made drones, thereby fostering a “strong and secure domestic drone sector” and ensuring “the U.S. drone supply chain from foreign control and exploitation.”