In December 2025, the FCC issued DA 25-1086, adding certain foreign-produced UAS and “critical UAS components” to the FCC Covered List following national security determinations authorized by Congress. Of course, the immediate concern is that the broad language of the order, which covers all foreign-made UAS components, including batteries, transmitters, […]
Continue readingAuthor: Lucas Rodden
FCC Publishes Actions on C-UAS Measures
On July 2, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a series of actions on behalf of US security agencies which implement portions of the SAFER SKIES Act. This legislation was enacted earlier this year and expands certain counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) authorities for qualified state, local, Tribal, and territorial (SLTT) […]
Continue readingFCC Covered List Updates
On June 15, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that certain “toy drones” will be removed from the agency’s “Covered List,” which restricts listed devices and components from FCC approval for import and sale. The exact criteria can be reviewed on the FCC’s announcement and establish a narrow set of […]
Continue readingTemporary Flight Restrictions – FIFA World Cup
On Thursday, May 28, the FAA released a statement detailing upcoming Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) associated with the FIFA World Cup. These TFRs will be centered on major sporting stadiums in host cities and will generally extend one mile from the venue. Recreational flight operations within these areas will be prohibited unless operators have […]
Continue readingFAA Drone Safety Day 2026
The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) annual safety awareness campaign, Drone Safety Day, will take place on April 25, 2026. This annual outreach initiative focuses on promoting safe and responsible operation of unmanned aircraft and increasing public awareness of airspace rules. The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) has supported these safe […]
Continue readingFAA UAS Violation Policy Updates
On April 16, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a new initiative intended to accelerate enforcement actions involving certain drone violations. The program, titled the Drone Expedited and Targeted Enforcement Response (DETER) program, was introduced in a brief press release on the FAA’s website, as well as a statement from William McKenna, the FAA’s Chief […]
Continue readingNational Security NOTAM 6/3366
On April 16 2025, the FAA issued an updated national security advisory (NOTAM FDC 6/3366) that affects unmanned aircraft operations in proximity to certain sensitive federal facilities. Previous national security NOTAM, FDC 6/4375, focused on the same items of concern but used more restrictive language. This was briefly replaced on April 15, 2026, with FDC 6/2824, before the current FDC 6/3366 went into effect. Under the […]
Continue readingCustoms and Border Protection: Commercial Importer Refund process
On April 15, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released information regarding the process for duty refunds for commercial importers. These processes are starting to be implemented following a court order which overturned certain tariffs throughout 2025 that are paid under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. This procedure […]
Continue readingAMA Advocacy: H.R. 6460 passes U.S. House of Representatives
On Tuesday, March 24, H.R. 6460, a bill championed by AMA that will simplify altitude extensions and airspace permissions, has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and will move forward in the legislative process. H.R. 6460 was previously introduced in December 2025 on AMA’s behalf by Reps. Tracy Mann (R-Kansas, […]
Continue readingSuper Bowl LX Flight Restrictions
In preparation for the upcoming Super Bowl LX on February 8, the FAA has issued a series of flight restrictions and guidelines for both unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) as well as full-scale operations. These restrictions will increase in the days leading up to the event and can be viewed at […]
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