The FCC asks whether drones should be allowed to use ultra-wideband radios to land, with comments due December 2

The FCC published a proposal to update its ultra-wideband (UWB) rules in the Federal Register on November 2. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 26-66 in ET Docket No. 26-245, was adopted September 30 and released October 1. Comments are due December 2 and reply comments January 4, 2027. UWB radios use very wide channels, typically 500 megahertz or more, at low power. The FCC says they can find both distance and direction over a short range.

The FCC asks what limits would protect other spectrum users. It lists indoor-only use, confined outdoor areas, controlled sites such as factories, altitude limits, power limits, and duty-cycle limits. It asks whether drone-based UWB could change how users share spectrum, and what safeguards, such as geofencing or altitude limits, UWB aboard aircraft would need. In a separate section on a possible new class of UWB devices, it asks about mounting-height limits. It asks whether to allow installations up to 20 meters "to support low altitude drone operations and other potential new UWB applications." On the toy ban, a footnote says it is "not obvious" when a drone sold for consumer or hobbyist use is deployed in a way that makes it more than a toy.