AMA Takes Aim At FCC Regulations On Foreign Components

The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) is working with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to clarify the impact on the hobby industry of a regulation that adds all uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), and UAS components produced by foreign entities, to the list of items banned for posing an “unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons.”

It appears that this prohibition does not affect existing UAS or UAS components that were authorized prior to Dec. 21, or outlaw their use, the AMA noted in a blog post. It should also not affect models that have already received FAA authorization.

However, because virtually all model components are manufactured abroad, this security restriction would have huge implications for both the hobbyist and commercial airspace industries moving forward, according to Tyler Dobbs,
executive director of the AMA. 

It should be noted that this determination was made on Dec. 21 and released to the public on Dec. 22, leaving airspace industry stakeholders without any warning. The AMA had previously submitted public comments to the Bureau of Industry and Security in early March related to this topic, offering multiple recommendations to ease restrictions on the hobbyist community.

However, the FCC and the Public Safety and Homeland
Security Bureau (PSHSB) have made this determination through pre-existing mechanics in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, side-stepping the typical public comment period and advance notice that stakeholders would usually receive.

The AMA is engaging with the FCC and congressional offices to address this issue, alongside other industry stakeholders who have fought against broad component bans and advocated for definition changes to the generic use of “UAS” to give relief to recreational modelers from similar security enforcements and regulations.