Remote ID

The FAA classifies drones under {{convert|55|lb}} as small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS).{{Code of Federal Regulations|14|107|3}}—Definitions These systems can operate either as limited recreational operations under the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 exception, or under Part 107 with more stringent requirements such as licensing.{{UnitedStatesCode|49|44809}}—Exception for limited recreational operations of unmanned aircraft Recreational operators must pass an aeronautical knowledge and safety test, The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST).{{cite web |author= |date=17 June 2024 |title=The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) |url=https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_flyers/knowledge_test_updates |publisher=Federal Aviation Administration |access-date=2025-01-11}} Test administrators run the gamut, from the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) and Boy Scouts of America to the University of Arizona Global Campus. Recreational drones over {{convert|0.55|lb|g|abbr=on}} must be registered.{{Code of Federal Regulations|14|48|15}}—Requirement to register

File:2015.08.22 11.43.14 DSCN2877 - Flickr - andrey zharkikh.jpg (AMA) model airfield FRIA along the Jordan River in Utah]]

Remote ID compliance with one of the three methods is required. Standard remote identification hardware, which is factory-installed before sale, is one such method. Operators without standard hardware can still comply by using removable remote ID modules, which can be added to any UAS as needed. The third option is a FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA) where drones can be flown without any remote ID equipment.

FAA-Recognized Identification Areas (FRIAs) are defined geographic areas where unregistered drones can be flown without Remote ID equipment.{{Cite web |title=Subpart C—FAA-Recognized Identification Areas |url=https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-89/subpart-C |website=Code of Federal Regulations}}{{cite web |author= |date= |title=FAA-Recognized Identification Areas (FRIAs) |url=https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/remote_id/fria |publisher=Federal Aviation Administration |access-date=2025-01-05}}

Remote ID information is meant to be broadcast to the public and readable by smart phones and similar devices.

The ASTM F3411 standard for very-low-level UAS specifies Open Drone ID broadcasts with common consumer electronics on the 2.4 GHz and related ISM radio bands:{{cite Q |Q125618419 |url=https://doi.org/10.1109%2FACCESS.2022.3199909}}

• Wi-Fi for longer range messages, either in beacon frames or NAN service discovery frames on channels 6 and 149. Wi-Fi Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN, Wi-Fi Aware) service discovery frames are NAN-specific public action frames.{{cite patent |country=EP |number=3369083B1 |status=patent}}
• Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for short range messages. BLE advertising packets are transmitted on channels 37, 38, and 39.

Open Drone ID defines an application layer, including messages for identifiers, location, altitude, direction, speed, and other information.{{cite web |last=Tsuboi |first=Angelina |date=2024-10-23 |title=Drone Swarmer: Uncovering Vulnerabilities in Open Drone ID |url=https://medium.com/@angelinatsuboi/drone-swarmer-uncovering-vulnerabilities-in-open-drone-id-cdd8d1a23c2c |website=Medium |location= |publisher= |access-date=2025-01-04}} Libraries such as the Open Drone ID Core C Library provide application programming interfaces (APIs) for applications.{{cite web |author= |date= |title=Open Drone ID Core C Library |url=https://github.com/opendroneid/opendroneid-core-c |website=GitHub |location= |publisher=opendroneid |access-date=2025-01-04 |quote=Wi-Fi Beacon […] If any other channel than Channel 6 on 2.4 GHz or Channel 149 on 5 GHz is used, a faster transmission rate of 5 Hz is required.}}{{cite web |author=MAVLink Development Team |author-link=MAVLink |date= |title=Open Drone ID |url=https://mavlink.io/en/services/opendroneid.html |website=MAVLink Developer Guide |location= |publisher= |access-date=2025-01-04}} One might also use wpa_supplicant, for example with its NAN control interface commands.{{cite web |first=Jouni |last=Malinen |date=2024-02-15 |title=Wi-Fi Aware unsynchronized service discovery (NAN USD) |url=https://w1.fi/cgit/hostap/tree/wpa_supplicant/README-NAN-USD |website=wpa_supplicant |access-date=2025-01-16}}

The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 called on the FAA to regulate small drones to integrate them into the National Airspace System.FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, {{USPL|112|95}}, §§ 332, 333.General Counsel, Office of the Secretary of Transportation. (2023). [https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/State-Local-Regulation-of-Unmanned-Aircraft-Systems-Fact-Sheet.pdf State and Local Regulation of Unmanned Aircraft [Fact Sheet]]. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 27, 2023 The FAA then promulgated the Part 107 regulations for the operation of small UAS (sUAS) in 2016.14 CFR [https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-F/part-107?toc=1 part 107]. Operation and Certification of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, {{Federal Register|81|42064}} (28 June 2016). The FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 directed the FAA to develop the capacity to remotely locate drones in flight and contact their operators as needed to ensure regulatory compliance.FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016, {{USPL|114|190}}, § 2202(a). And in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, Congress made clear that recreational sUAS are generally subject to the same rules regarding registration and marking, remote identification, and "maintaining the safety and security of the national airspace system" as applied to other unmanned aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems.

The final Remote ID rule and Part 89 regulations were published in the Federal Register on January 15, 2021.Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft, {{Federal Register|86|4390}} (15 January 2021). The effective date of the rule was March 16, 2021, with exception of amendatory instruction 19, while subpart C was effective September 16, 2022. Operators of sUAS were required to be in compliance by 16 September 2023 and the FAA ended its discretionary enforcement period 16 March 2024.{{cite news |author= |date=15 March 2024 |title=FAA Ends Discretionary Enforcement Policy on Drone Remote Identification |url=https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-ends-discretionary-enforcement-policy-drone-remote-identification |publisher=Federal Aviation Administration |access-date=2025-01-05}}

In the RaceDayQuads v. FAA case, also known as Brennan v. Dickson, the online store sought to overturn the rule on constitutional and procedural grounds, arguing it violated the Fourth Amendment and exceeded FAA authority.{{cite journal |last1=Vacek |first1=Joseph James |year=2023 |title=Brennan v. Dickson, 45 F.4th 48 (D.C. Cir. 2022) |url=https://law.und.edu/_files/docs/ndlr/pdf/issues/98/2/98ndlr233.pdf |journal=North Dakota Law Review |volume=98 |issue=2 |publisher= |pages=233-244 |doi= |access-date=2024-01-10}}{{Cite web|last=Rupprecht|first=Jonathan|date=2021-03-18|title=RaceDayQuads LLC v. FAA (Lawsuit Challenging Drone Remote Identification Regulations)|url=https://jrupprechtlaw.com/racedayquads-llc-v-faa-lawsuit-challenging-drone-remote-identification-regulations/|access-date=2021-05-26|website=Drone Law and Drone Attorney Assistance|language=en-US}} The suit was intended to "save the drone industry", including drone racing by using "FPV drones".{{Cite web|title=FAA Legal Battle - Challenging Remote ID|url=https://www.racedayquads.com/pages/faa-legal-battle-to-save-fpv|access-date=2021-05-26|website=RaceDayQuads|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2021-03-19|title=RaceDayQuads.com vs FAA court case in defense of all drone pilots and model aviators|url=https://www.suasnews.com/2021/03/racedayquads-com-vs-faa-court-case-in-defense-of-all-drone-pilots-and-model-aviators/|access-date=2021-06-24|website=sUAS News - The Business of Drones|language=en-GB}} The suit ultimately failed at the DC Appeals Court, which in an opinion written by federal judge Cornelia Pillard sided with the FAA's arguments.

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 directed the FAA to review the Remote ID rule to determine whether unmanned aircraft manufacturers and operators can meet the intent of the rule through alternative means of compliance, including through network-based remote identification.FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, {{USPL|118|63}}, § [https://www.govinfo.gov/link/plaw/118/public/63?link-type=uslm#d4122e46972 907].

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/remote_id Remote ID] webpage of the FAA
• [https://faa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=8f274117010f4eb1a50f64c1719be12b Map of FAA-Recognized Identification Areas] (FRIAs)
• [https://faadronezone-access.faa.gov/ FAADroneZone] website of the FAA
• [https://udds-faa.opendata.arcgis.com/ UAS Data Delivery System]
• [https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-F/part-89?toc=1 Part 89—Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft] in the CFR
• [https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-F/part-107?toc=1 Part 107—Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems] in the CFR

category:Federal Aviation Administration

Category:Unmanned aerial vehicles of the United States