The Federal Communications Commission has begun requesting industry comments on proposed rules to enable unmanned aircraft system operators to access licensed spectrum to ensure the reliability of drone operations.
A notice published Tuesday in the Federal Reserve states that the FCC is seeking companies’ input on the cost and benefits of adopting a band plan and service rules to grant drone operators access to interference-protected control-and-non-payload-communications in the 5030-5091 MHz band.
FCC aims to develop band plans and service rules for two broad UAS use cases: non-networked operations, which occur within the radio line-of-sight of the UAS operator; and network-supported operations, which use network infrastructure to go beyond radio LOS.
The commission also plans to establish a licensing process for UAS operators to communicate with air traffic control and other aircraft to facilitate flight coordination and ensure the safe integration of drone operations in controlled airspace.
Responses are due March 9.
