The FCC's drone parts rule is now in force, and the details matter more than the headlines

As of today, October 13, the Federal Communications Commission will not authorize a new device that carries a logic-bearing part made by a company on its Covered List. For drones, that closes the route where an aircraft is assembled in the United States around a flight controller, radio or camera board from DJI or Autel.

The rule is the Commission's Third Report and Order in ET Docket No. 21-232, released July 23 and published in the Federal Register on September 11 at 91 Fed. Reg. 57798.

A summary has been moving through drone pilot groups on Facebook today. Some of it is right and some of it mixes two FCC actions together. I went back to the order, the Federal Register text and the FCC's fact sheets to sort out what changed and what didn't.

What the rule says

The rule adds a definition at 47 CFR 2.902. A logic-bearing hardware component is a physical part, including a chip, module or subassembly, that uses digital timing signals above 9,000 pulses per second or uses radio energy to process data. Mechanical and passive parts, such as housings, fasteners, cables and plain battery cells, fall outside it.

The prohibition sits at 47 CFR 2.903(b)(2). A device can't get equipment authorization if it contains a logic-bearing part produced by a Covered List entity. Equipment authorization is the FCC approval a radio product needs before it can be imported or sold here, and it's what puts an FCC ID on a drone and its controller.

Three details shape how it plays out.

The test is who made the part. The Federal Register text applies the ban to entities listed by name as producers, and not to entries defined only by where something is made. Drone Intelligence's review of the order reads that to catch parts from named producers such as DJI and Autel.

Software and firmware are outside it for now. The Commission opened a further notice asking whether manufacturers should file bills of materials, which list every hardware part and code library in a product.

It looks forward only. The rule text says it "does not affect previously authorized equipment." Applications pending on October 13 are exempt unless they're later amended to change a logic-bearing part.

The drone you already fly

Nothing changes today for an operator flying a DJI or Autel aircraft that already has its FCC authorization. The rule revokes nothing, and FAA flight rules apply the same way they did yesterday. PCMag's August rundown made the same point about the Covered List generally.

The pressure lands on what comes next. A Covered List company that wants to change an existing model's circuitry now needs full recertification, as Holland & Knight summarized the order. That slows hardware revisions on models already in the field.

The order doesn't settle repairs. Drone Intelligence notes it deals with filings and amendments and says nothing direct about swapping a DJI-made board in an aircraft already in service. I wouldn't assume either way.

US-assembled drones

This is where the rule bites. A company assembling aircraft here around a DJI or Autel flight controller, radio module or camera board can't get a new authorization for that design. For operators shopping for a "US-made" alternative, the question is no longer just where the drone was assembled. It's who produced the boards inside it.

The Buy American exemption

The Facebook summary says a Buy American exemption at 65 percent of component value runs through January 1, 2028. That's accurate, but it belongs to a different FCC action.

In December 2025 the FCC added foreign-produced drones and drone components to the Covered List. The FCC's July 21 fact sheet lists the exemptions from that listing. Drones on the Defense Department's Blue UAS list are exempt, and so are drones assembled in the United States with at least 65 percent of their components by value produced here. Both exemptions were pushed from January 1, 2027 to January 1, 2028. The fact sheet says the Conditional Approval track, for makers committing to move production onshore, no longer has an end date. DroneDJ counted 17 companies holding those approvals in July.

The rule that took effect today is separate, and its Federal Register text doesn't mention a Buy American exemption. Read plainly, a drone with 65 percent domestic content still runs into today's rule if a logic-bearing part inside came from a named Covered List producer. The FCC hasn't published guidance on how the two interact, so anyone counting on the exemption should have FCC counsel confirm it before buying inventory.

The Anzu Robotics case

Anzu Robotics, a US company that licenses DJI technology for its Raptor drone, is the example most people point to. PCMag reported on August 13 that the FCC had moved to revoke Anzu's authorizations, with a public comment period before any decision. I couldn't find a final order on Anzu, so I'd treat it as pending.

The FCC has finalized at least one revocation. Holland & Knight reported that on August 11 it revoked the authorizations for a drone and controller from a company it found had misstated where the equipment was made. The firm called it the first drone revocation since the December listing.

The marketplace rule

The same order changes online sales. Under the amended 47 CFR 2.803, online marketplaces have to show a valid FCC ID for certified devices. The Federal Register text gives marketplaces until March 1, 2027 when they hold title or physical access, and until June 1, 2027 when they rely on a seller's certification. Listings posted before today, used devices and low-volume sellers are exempt.

For anyone buying a drone on Amazon or eBay, that matters next spring more than this week.

What's still pending

The July fact sheet describes a proposal to bar importing or selling certain foreign-made "military-grade" drones for non-government use. Its categories include thermal drones, drones with built-in LiDAR, docks, spray drones, drone swarms and aircraft of 55 pounds or more. Drones already purchased would be left out. If it's adopted as described, it would reach the thermal inspection, dock and spraying work many commercial operators depend on, so it's the one I'm watching.

DJI and Autel have also challenged the December listing. DJI filed for reconsideration in January and Autel applied for review, and the FCC set a pleading cycle for both in March.

What I'd take from it

For people who fly for a living in Northeast Florida, today's rule grounds nothing and changes no FAA requirement. What it changes is the next aircraft. New models get fewer, "assembled in the USA" tells you less, and hardware updates on existing DJI and Autel models get slower.

For builders, insurers, brokers and property owners who hire drone work, ask your operator what they fly and whether its FCC authorization is current. Any FCC ID can be looked up in the Commission's equipment authorization database.

For anyone choosing what to buy next, three questions are worth putting to a manufacturer or a lawyer. Is the model on the Blue UAS list, and does its exemption cover the date you need? Who produced the flight controller, radios and camera boards? And does the seller show a valid FCC ID?