Drone Group Supports 'Covered List' Expansion
The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) urged the FCC to consider adding communications equipment and services associated with connected vehicle technologies to the “covered list” of unsecure equipment when it poses a risk to national security. Comments are due June 27 on the finding by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security that the provision of some connected vehicle hardware or software by Chinese- or Russian-controlled entities can pose “an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security and the safety and security of U.S. persons.”
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
“Connected vehicles rely heavily on communications technologies that can be exploited if sourced from untrusted entities,” AUVSI said in a filing this week in docket 18-89. “The integration of such equipment into U.S. transportation infrastructure could allow foreign adversaries to access sensitive data, disrupt critical services, or compromise public safety.” The group said expanding the gear subject to restrictions is “a prudent step toward safeguarding national security and promoting economic growth.”
In another filing this week, representatives of General Motors reported on a meeting with FCC staff about the scope of the proposed requirement. GM “noted the general importance of aligning scope and timing of any new FCC action with US Department of Commerce regulatory rules covering similar topics, in order to minimize any unintended side effects.” Representatives “posed several hypothetical business examples to better understand how potential FCC action on this topic might apply.”