The Senate drops the Drone Ban | Drone Pilots Fight Back & Score a win

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The latest update on the Countering CCP Act has been a shocking revelation as it took a complete turn that none of us saw coming. On Sept 24th 2024 we learned that the Senate does not have Rick Scott's amendment in their version for the National Defense Authorization Act. This amendment aims to attack not just DJI, which has been the main target in the past, but now aims to go after Autel Robotics and as the bill says:“(I) any subsidiary, affiliate, or partner of the named entity;(II) any entity in a joint venture with the named entity;or(III) any entity to which the named entity has issued alicense to produce or provide that telecommunications or video surveillance equipment”If passed this would mean that companies such as Anzu Robotics and Cogito Tech are also targets of this amendment. Not only are these companies in the hotseat but so are any FPV drone that uses DJI Air Units in their build. He’s trying to use the spy balloon narrative to make it seems like all products from Chinese based companies are evil. His biggest argument is that the DJI drones are stealing our data, which has never been the case and there has never been proof of it. He goes on to say Chinese technology is used to elevate the Chinese Communist Party through manipulation and Data Theft with the ultimate goal of obtaining leverage over United States infrastructure and critical resources. There has been no evidence to support these claims and you’re at more danger of your data being stolen by your cell phone or computer.By going after these companies, it would be an almost overnight destruction of the US drone market whether it is for recreational or commercial purposes. Globally DJI controls 54% of the market share, while in the US it dominates the market with 79% of the market shares. It is believed that by the end of 2024 it will be 80% of the US market shares at a minimum. For recreational pilots it would also create unfortunate circumstances. In the US, as of July 2023, there was a total of 863,728 drones that were registered. Of these drones that were registered 506,635 (59%) are for recreational purposes. Some people might say that these aren’t all DJI drones for recreational purposes, but many drone manufacturers don’t make recreational drones or components for them. Senator Scott has always seen DJI drones as a threat to National Security, but without little substance.