Believes Current Law Does Not Prohibit Use of Flexible-Use Bands for UAS Operations

Earlier Thursday, the FCC released a report on UAS use of spectrum required by Congress in Section 374 of the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act.

The Small UAV Coalition, which has long engaged with the FCC on how flexible-use spectrum can best be utilized to advance commercial UAS operations, is pleased the Commission provided clarity on its views and acknowledged concerns the Coalition previously raised with lower altitude operations utilizing the 5030-5091MHz band. The Coalition looks forward to engaging with the Commission on the anticipated rulemaking for this band.
 
As the Coalition noted in filings with the Commission, flexible-use spectrum holds great promise for UAS operations, including for beyond visual line of sight operations, and we are pleased the Commission acknowledges that opportunity, stating "that many stakeholders anticipate that significant benefits will accrue from existing flexible-use networks and [we] are not inclined to disagree." The Coalition is also pleased the Commission provided clarity on the use of flexible-use spectrum for UAS operations, concluding that absent specific restrictions on aeronautical use, "current law does not prohibit the use of flexible-use bands for UAS operations."
 
The Coalition has also provided comments to the FAA as it prepares its own report to Congress in response to Section 374. We look forward to continuing to work with both agencies and to  further engaging with the Commission as it reviews rules on both the 5030-5091 MHz band and the flexible-use bands.

FMI: www.smalluavcoalition.org