08/13/2026
What’s the future of drones in the U.S.? 👇
It’s no secret that DJI is the world wide leader in sub-$10000 drones.
Ask any drone pilot — be they aerial videographer, search and rescue or surveyor — and they almost 100% fly a DJI drone.
However the FCC (as well as the current CBP) has made it very clear that they don’t care about the value these tools provide to small businesses and entrepreneurs across the country and instead are seeking to ban, prohibit and restrict the use of DJI drones in all forms.
Now let’s get one thing clear: I’m not against protecting/trying to foster innovation and industries within our own country. DJI is great but they do have a monopoly on the market and it would be nice to have some other options.
However, it seems the FCC and our current gov doesn’t care about doing this.
Why?
1) They are trying to foster innovation by just banning competition. Helping grow the type of startups that could one day compete with a company like DJI will also involve giving them access to funds so they can grow in without necessarily worrying about instantly being profitable. The U.S. government could redirect the 25% tax it has had on DJI drones imported into the U.S. since 2018 towards this rather than having it flow into the general fund.
2) Even though the FCC ban is supposedly only on foreign made drones, they are also not approving ANY other new DJI devices. No mics. No action cameras. No gimbals. While the argument could be made that some of these products could be considered drone components, it’s pretty clear whether or not a product is a drone or not and I hope the people at the FCC would be smart enough to recognize that.
3) The FCC is now trying to go back and ban DJI drones it has already approved that use LiDAR. They are saying this move is to get a hold on military drone technology but it would hit consumer drones like the Mini 5 Pro, Avata 360, Air 3S and Mavic 4 Pro. The FCC has failed to demonstrate why a ban like this is needed and this is yet another ban that feels like a blunt, poorly crafted legislation rather than good comprehensive regulations to foster domestic innovation in military drones.
