DJI Drones to be Banned says FCC Commissioner

On Tuesday, the senior Republican member of the FCC compared DJI drone technology to “Huawei on wings,” and asked for a total ban on the Chinese company’s products. Brendan Carr of the FCC urges that items from DJI, the world’s largest drone manufacturer, be placed on a blacklist, similar to what the US did with Huawei in 2019. This, of course, hampered the latter’s desire to become more than just one of the world’s top smartphone manufacturers. In addition, Huawei’s plans to expand its 5G technology far and wide were also thwarted.

The Trump administration halted it, warning that such products could represent a national security concern. Consider the following to see why even the possibility of something like this happening to DJI is such a significant problem.

As a result of the US-led blacklisting, Huawei’s revenue has dropped for three quarters in a row. As a result, buyers are shunning the company’s products all around the world. Huawei is now ranked #9 in terms of smartphone sales. In retaliation? Huawei has increased its focus on other business areas, such as electric vehicles.DJI, on the other hand, is a Shenzhen-based drone manufacturer. According to a press statement issued by the FCC on Tuesday, it controls more than half of the US drone market.

Regrettably, law enforcement organizations around the United States have been purchasing DJI drones anyhow. The Secret Service, for example, purchased eight DJI drones in late July, according to Axios. Around the same period, the FBI purchased 19 drones. Of course, Carr sees this pattern as unsustainable as well.