FCC Gets Broad Support for Drone Spectrum Proposals

“Adequate spectrum access and enabling use case allowances are essential to the success of UAS [uncrewed aircraft systems] and AAM and the future of aviation more broadly,” AUVSI said. The emerging drone and AAM industry "has already begun to demonstrate the value that it brings to the public,” the filing said. “AUVSI urges the FCC to continue to support these emerging aviation operations with spectrum and regulatory flexibility.”

The Edison Electric Institute, which represents electric utilities, said drones are increasingly important to how its members operate. “UAS offers a safer, faster, and more cost-effective alternative for infrastructure inspection and damage assessment,” EEI said. The technology enables utilities “to collect more detailed data without exposing personnel to hazardous conditions,” the group said. Utilities “have already adopted UAS for pre-storm mapping, post-event inspections of hard-to-access areas, and even to assist in power restoration.”

The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC), representing major public safety groups, said drones are increasingly important for first responders and supported proposals in the NPRM. “UAS is a valuable tool to help search for lost persons, help mitigate injuries in a hostage situation, see around buildings in a SWAT operation, provide a 3-dimensional picture for more accurate reconstruction of crash scenes, predict the path of, and battle wildland fires, plan and implement disaster response missions and potentially deliver critical medical supplies,” NPSTC said.

AURA Network Systems noted it has “invested significant resources over the past decade to design and build new technology and its network” in the 450 MHz band. “The Commission’s targeted proposed rules are a rational approach to reducing outdated regulation while updating and modernizing this band to reflect current technologies and market needs,” AURA said. The band is “uniquely suited for next-generation AAM operations due to its existing aeronautical allocation and long-range propagation characteristics.”

“Reliable, aviation-grade connectivity is not a future need -- it is a current requirement,” said Universal Solutions International, a UAS engineering company. Timing is “critical,” the firm said. “Regulatory certainty in 2025 will shape system design, aircraft certification, and operational planning for years to come.”

“Having the flexibility to leverage a diverse set of networks with nationwide coverage is crucial, and the 450 MHz band with its propagation advantages over long distances provides unique advantages,” said Reliable Robotics, a drone technology company.

Dale Hatfield, formerly the FCC’s top engineer and now senior fellow at Silicon Flatirons, said the NPRM acknowledges the need for more focus on the RF noise floor and how it affects operations, which is a longtime Hatfield focus. He noted the proliferation of “mass-produced, digitally switched electronics” in the UHF spectrum range, including the 450–470 MHz band.

The role of the 450 MHz band in supporting drone command and telemetry functions “makes it uniquely sensitive to even modest increases in the ambient noise floor,” Hatfield said: “Future users of the 450-470 MHz band -- especially AAM platforms -- will likely face an RF environment shaped by aggregate emissions from non-licensed sources. Long-term success in this band may benefit from increased awareness of baseline noise levels, trends, and contributors.”