Regulatory Compliance News

FCC Updates Covered List: Key Exemptions for UAS and Critical Drone Components

On January 7, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced significant updates to its "Covered List," exempting specific uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and their critical components from existing restrictions. This move follows a new national security determination from the Department of War (DoW), which identified certain drone technologies that do not pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security.

The update introduces two primary categories of exemptions that will remain in effect until January 1, 2027:

• • Blue UAS Cleared List: Any UAS or critical components currently featured on the Defense Contract Management Agency’s (DCMA) Blue UAS Cleared List are now exempt.
• • Domestic End Products: Components and systems that qualify as "domestic end products" under the Buy American Standard (48 CFR § 25.101(a)) are also excluded from the Covered List.

For manufacturers and distributors, these exemptions provide a temporary pathway to obtain necessary FCC equipment authorizations for new models that were previously restricted by the broad December 2025 ban on foreign-produced drones. Additionally, the FCC has established a process for entities to seek "Conditional Approvals" for specific equipment by submitting detailed supply chain and manufacturing information to drones@fcc.gov. Recent reports also indicate that the FCC has extended waivers for security-related software and firmware updates for previously authorized drones until 2029 to prevent emerging cybersecurity vulnerabilities.