House Panel Advances Bill to Place DJI on FCC Covered List
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a legislative hearing Feb. 15 to advance several pending measures, including a bill that would add Chinese drone company Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI) to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Covered list, which would prohibit DJI technology from operating on U.S. communications infrastructure.
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House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who introduced the proposed Countering CCP Drones Act in April 2023 with House Select Committee on China Chairman Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., said in a statement that DJI drones could be equipped to send live imagery of military bases, critical infrastructure and American citizens to China, presenting a “serious national security risk” to the U.S.
DJI criticized the legislation, saying in a statement that it relies on "baseless allegations" and "xenophobic fears" and could "negatively impact public safety and the U.S. economy."
The next step for the bill is a subcommittee markup. A markup date hasn't been announced yet.