Aerospace Industries Association Asks FCC to Develop Rules for Drone Spectrum

The Aerospace Industries Association asked the FCC to act on technical and operational rules for using the 5030-5091 MHz band for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) controls, in a Friday petition. The FCC reallocated the band for that use last March as part of an order in docket 15-99 implementing changes from the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference. “Regulators at the FCC and industry users of spectrum should support our recommendations and set forth a firm and empowering regulatory structure that will encourage development of the multitude of benefits that UAS offer and help our industry realize its great potential,” blogged David Silver, AIA vice president-civil aviation. Medium to large UAS offer huge potential for the commercial sector, Silver said. “Spectrum resources that allow the operator both to maintain control of the aircraft and to receive critical flight data -- known as ‘command and control’ (C2) -- are an absolute requirement for non-autonomous UAS to operate safely and efficiently in any airspace.” For UAS to use the band, the FCC must first establish rules, the petition said. Since drones will share the spectrum, the agency should approve a dynamic frequency assignment process “using one or more Frequency Assignment Managers (FAMs) designated by the Commission to ensure efficient spectrum access and reuse of the frequencies across multiple geographic areas,” the petition said. “Many details of the frequency assignment process system should be left to the discretion of the FAM(s) subject to certain basic guidelines and requirements.” The commission didn't comment. Meanwhile, organizers of the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games deployed a record 1,218 drones during the opening ceremony Friday night Korea time. CTA is reviewing the request, a spokeswoman said Friday.