As drone use continues to grow, Chinese-made drones have raised concerns within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. These foreign-made drones were believed to be sending sensitive information back to China, undermining national security in the United States. This caused the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 to be passed which included language that banned federally funded organizations from purchasing or using Chinese-made drones.
A recent bill that passed the House of Representatives would expand that ban to the private sector as well, explains Arthor Erickson, CEO of the drone company Hylio.
“Today there is a bill called the Countering CCP Drones Act,” says Erickson, “and that bill would effectively ban Chinese-made drones- even in the private sector, so not just public. What it would do, it would define DJI, the largest Chinese drone manufacturer in the world, as a covered entity, which means that they will not be allowed to receive FCC permits to use communication infrastructure here in the States.”
In response to the legislation, a coalition of agriculture spray drone distributors have banded together to oppose the ban. The coalition, consisting of Agri Spray Drones, Bestway Ag, Drone Nerds, HSE-UAV, Pegasus Robotics, and Rantizo argues that spray drones are an important part of modern agriculture because they add opportunities for aerial application, create jobs in rural America, and support sustainable agriculture.
