A bill that would have banned the sale Chinese-made drones in the United States didn’t make it into the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act, but the push to ban and/or restrict the use of drones made by China or other U.S. adversaries like Russia continues, according to Reuters.
The latest move was announced by the U.S. Commerce Department on Jan. 2, which said it was considering new rules to address risks it sees from drones that include components from adversaries. The concern comes from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security. The BIS “advances U.S. national security, foreign policy and economic objectives by ensuring an effective export control and treaty compliance system and by promoting continued U.S. leadership in strategic technologies.”
The department is soliciting comments on the proposed new rules by March 4. It will be up to President-elect Donald Trump’s administration to decide whether and how to move forward with any restrictions.
In addition, a provision of the latest version of the NDAA still requires a risk assessment of drones made by Chinese companies like DJI, the world’s biggest commercial drone-maker, which makes a majority of drones used by U.S. farmers and other users.
The bill doesn’t specify which federal agency is to perform this risk assessment. If no agency comes forward, the company may still be automatically added to the Federal Communications Commission’s “covered list” of prohibited companies.
David Murray can be reached at [email protected].
