The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken action to remove toy drones from its “Covered List” of devices banned from sale in the U.S.
According to a Public Notice issued in mid-June, the Commission’s latest action follows a National Security Determination issued by the U.S. Department of War (DoW) that “toy drones” and “toy drones that contain foreign-produced components,” two specific classes of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS, or drones), “do not pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or the safety and security of U.S. persons.”
Further, the Determination states that:
“The core of this determination rests on a clear distinction between unsophisticated, low-risk toys that are not capable of operating efficiently in U.S. airspace”…and that “Toy drones lack the organic capabilities and features in range, endurance, sensing, payload, connectivity, and data collection and storage.”
The Determination then details a list of criteria that drones must meet to qualify for exemption from the Covered List, including a maximum take-off weight of not more than 150 grams, and a line-of-sight operational limit not to exceed 100 meters.
Read the FCC’s notice removing toy drones from its Covered List.
