The Federal Communications Commission voted October 29 to let unmanned aircraft use 50 megahertz of licensed spectrum in the 800 MHz cellular band, ending a restriction the agency adopted in 1991. Chairman Brendan Carr and Commissioners Anna Gomez and Olivia Trusty approved the change, which applies to drone command, control, communications and payload data links.
The original rule barred airborne devices from using cellular spectrum out of concern that phones and other equipment aboard aircraft would interfere with ground-based cellular networks. The FCC said that concern no longer applies to drones because modern wireless networks use techniques that prevent that kind of interference, making the three-decade-old barrier unnecessary for unmanned aircraft.
Why Spectrum Access Matters for Drone Operators
Drone operators flying beyond visual line of sight, known as BVLOS, need a reliable way to send commands and receive telemetry and video from aircraft that a pilot can no longer see directly. Many operators have relied on a patchwork of dedicated radio links or temporary waivers to tap cellular networks for that connectivity, which complicates scaling a fleet across many cities. Formal access to a dedicated slice of the 800 MHz band gives delivery and inspection drone operators, such as Zipline and Wing, a standardized nationwide option instead of a one-off arrangement with individual carriers.
The decision is part of a broader deregulatory push the FCC has signaled under Carr, who has framed the effort as removing outdated restrictions that no longer match current technology. "At the FCC, we are doing our part to promote U.S. drone and aviation leadership by cutting red tape and modernizing obsolete regulations," Carr said of the agency's wider drone spectrum agenda.
More Spectrum Decisions Are Coming in November
The October 29 vote is the first of several the FCC has queued up for the drone industry. The agency has scheduled a vote for November 19 on three additional items: modernizing the 450 MHz aviation air-ground band to allow data communications and nationwide licensing instead of site-by-site permits; opening the 24.45–24.65 GHz band for ground-based radar that detects and tracks drones near airports, prisons, stadiums and other sensitive sites; and expanding satellite spectrum in the 28.35–28.6 GHz band to support connectivity for moving platforms including drones, aircraft and ships.
Taken together, the four proposals would give drone makers and operators clearer, nationwide spectrum rules across communications, detection and connectivity, replacing rules written decades before commercial drones existed. The counter-drone radar provision is particularly relevant for critical-infrastructure security, a priority that has grown alongside federal counter-UAS contracting this year.
For now, the practical effect of the October 29 vote is limited to the newly available 800 MHz spectrum; operators will need to await FCC licensing procedures before they can put the new band to commercial use. The November 19 vote will determine whether the rest of the agency's drone spectrum agenda moves forward on the same timeline.
Source: DRONELIFE