DJI Still Excluded as FCC Grants Conditional Approval to Several Foreign Drone Models
In the ever-evolving DJI drone ban saga, the FCC has granted approvals for some foreign-made drones to be available in the US; however, none of those are DJI models.
Well, in what could be seen as a mix of good and bad news, it looks like the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has heeded pressure and granted “conditional approvals” for several foreign-made drones to be available for purchase and operation in the United States.
However, to the detriment of DJI and its fans, it appears none of these special exceptions are being granted to DJI drones or products, despite widespread outcry and petitions from the company’s loyal drone enthusiasts.
This is just the latest chapter in the ongoing DJI drone ban saga, and while it might be disappointing for some right now, it does provide some interesting new information, if not just more questions, too, though.
FCC Conditional Approvals List
According to public notice filings on the FCC’s website, the commission has announced a list of “conditional approvals” which have been granted for “certain UAS and Routers,” which effectively removes a handful of foreign-made drones from the nefarious “covered list” which has been serving as a de facto ban list for many non-US-made drones and other products, which even includes many DJI non-drone devices.
This conditional approvals list includes drone models from many different companies; however, it doesn’t appear that many are Chinese-based companies, which would explain why DJI is likely still on the covered list.
Some notable companies and drone models added to the conditional approval list include SiFly Aviation, Verge, and Mobilicom, with models such as the Q12 UAS, X1 UAS, and SkyHopper Series.
What Comes Next?
It’s worth noting that even when added to this conditional approval list, these approvals only run through the end of the year. This means that if they don’t receive more approvals than any effective bans would, these models will once again be placed under bans when the approvals end.
On the one hand, for fans of DJI hoping to access some of the newest drone models like the Mavic 4 Pro, the fact that there is an approval list is a good sign. However, with few Chinese-based companies receiving approvals and no real signs that the FCC is easing up on DJI, it doesn’t look hopeful of any meaningful changes anytime soon.
Still, we’ll keep y’all posted as this ongoing story continues to develop.
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