The US Federal Communications Commission has loosened the restriction on foreign-made drones – but the change isn’t one that will allow drone photographers and videographers to celebrate.
This week, the FCC announced that it will allow certain toy drones made in China to be imported, loosening a restriction put in place in December 2025 that effectively prevents all newly announced drones from receiving the necessary FCC approval to be sold in the US.
The FCC, however, narrowly defines what constitutes a “toy drone” – and one of the key limitations is that the drone can’t have a camera at all. The drone also can’t weigh more than 150g (5.29 oz), and it can’t have network capability or more than ten minutes of flight time.
The idea is that these toy drones don’t threaten national security without the technology to even take photos or communicate with a network. But, as an American photographer with a Part 107 drone license, the change only adds to my frustration.
If a toy drone without the physical ability to connect to a network doesn’t cause any security concerns, why can’t camera drones without network capabilities be permitted? Even existing DJI drones don’t need a network to fly. An internet connection is required for the initial setup, but DJI’s Local Data Mode allows pilots to fly without any network connection at all.
This disables features like the on-screen map, firmware updates, and some real-time safety features – like when I’m flying and get an alert that an aircraft is in the area. But, the mode severs any network connection, leaving the drone only connected with the controller.
If data transmission is still a concern – although a recent third-party security review of two DJI drones found no unexpected data transmissions – DJI drones can also be flown with third-party apps. And, yes, there are apps like this from American companies.
The US drone ban is about more than concern over inadvertently sending photos of US infrastructure to foreign countries, however. The government has also expressed concern that the US does not have a supply chain in place and, in the event of a war, wouldn’t be able to secure parts or build military drones.
The problem with banning all foreign-made drones is that there are currently no American companies that are building consumer drones for photographers and videographers. The handful of US drone companies focus on military drones, expensive Hollywood-level shooters, and quadcopters for commercial and agricultural applications.
Until a US drone company can build a consumer drone, aerial photographers and videographers will be relegated to using older drones launched before the ban. The US currently doesn’t have the supply chain in place for many drone components, but the FCC previously eased the foreign-made drone restriction by allowing drones that are made with at least 65% US components.
The drones that launched before the FCC ban are still legal to purchase and fly in the US. Six months after the drone ban, there’s still plenty of earlier launches to choose from. The DJI Avata 360, for example, had started the FCC approval process ahead of launch in time for those drones to launch in the US. But, eventually, US pilots will only have older consumer drones available to them.
Droe photographers are not the only ones affected by the ban – first responders, small businesses, hobbyist pilots, and others are also impacted. When the FCC called for public comments, it received more than 3,000, a number that’s far higher than the usual number of comments on similar FCC actions.
In February, DJI filed a lawsuit against the FCC ban in the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Notably, the FCC ban includes all foreign-made drones as well as targeting all of DJI’s newly launched products with wireless communication, which affects the brand’s action cameras and Pocket gimbal cameras, as well as flying cameras. The court case is still ongoing.
You may also like...
I asked DJI all my pressing questions about the drone ban and shared them here. Or, browse the best camera drones or the best drones for beginners.
