US House Votes to Bar DJI Drones – Where Do We Go From Here?

Drone News

by Alexandra Thompson9 days ago

For those drone fans anxiously awaiting news on the status of DJI, the Chinese drone manufacturer, the US House of Representatives voted this week to bar any new DJI drones from operating in the United States. So, do we throw our drones out with the bathwater, or is there something positive to report…. Let’s have a look.

This has been going back and forth for some time now, with the US government claiming DJI drones are a security problem and DJI saying they most certainly are not. Meanwhile, DJI has continued to produce new drones, and we consumers have continued to buy them and use them. Just a few days ago, they launched the Neo, a tiny drone that can literally take off and land in the palm of your hand. It’s a simple drone aimed at content creators and beginners in the drone market. Still, I imagine there’s a very good chance some of those beginners will get hooked and want to upgrade to something “bigger and better,” like the DJI Avata 2, especially with its recent update that allows 4K recording at 100fps, a nice enhancement for content creation.

The “Countering CCP Drones Act” – what does it mean?

The “Countering CCP Drones Act” prohibits drones manufactured by DJI from operating in the United States and accessing domestic communication infrastructure. According to Representative Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, “Congress will ensure that future versions of DJI drones cannot be imported, marketed or sold in the United States.” Notice the “future” in that statement? The good news for owners of a DJI drone is the Act only applies to new drones, leaving existing ones unaffected.

This whole thing doesn’t quite add up to me. Given the U.S. government’s concerns about data vulnerabilities, why are only new models seen as problematic when older ones have the same issues? I don’t claim to understand the intricacies of the government’s thoughts on this, nor do I understand the technicalities of the “domestic communication infrastructure,” but does this bill make sense to you? Maybe they have other reasons as well. After all, this bill is only one out of 28 bills brought before the House this week focusing to curb all things “China.” They’ve even dubbed it “China Week”.

One reason the U.S. government might be putting the brakes on DJI may be to encourage U.S. drone manufacturers to pick up the pace in developing their own drones—after all, it seems to be a lucrative business (according to Drone Industry Insights, market size is forecast to reach US$54.6 billion by 2030.) However, it doesn’t look like any other drone manufacturers will take over DJI’s market share any time soon. It’s generally believed DJI holds 70% globally.

So what happens next

It’s taken months for the US government to move the DJI “problem” forward, even though the company was blacklisted in December 2020 by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The bill still has a long way to go. From here, it needs to go to the Senate for approval, and they will most likely want to doctor it up and create their own version. It would then need the President’s signature, and with elections right around the corner and all that entails, it could take months, if it even gets there at all.

Are you the owner of a DJI drone? Does any of this legislation have you worried? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments below!