The Open Band

Section 22.925 of the FCC's rules dates to 1991. It prohibits airborne mobile use of cellular spectrum, a rule aimed at fast-moving handsets in aircraft that could see many towers at once, per DroneXL. The rule makes no technical distinction between a mobile phone and a drone; it simply bans airborne cellular use. The FCC draft would lift that restriction specifically for commercial drone operations using licensed spectrum.

The draft targets the 824-849 MHz and 869-894 MHz segments of the 800 MHz cellular band, per DroneXL. Access would be structured under existing carrier licences, meaning operators would use spectrum that AT&T, Verizon and others already hold rather than acquiring their own. The 3GPP Release 15 standard, which the draft references as the technical baseline, includes dedicated operation modes for cellular-connected drones, per DroneXL.

In the 890-894 MHz slice, international allocation rules mean drone operations can neither claim protection from interference nor cause it, per DroneXL. The FCC first asked whether to drop the 800 MHz ban in January 2023, in WT Docket 22-323, making this a multi-year proceeding. The FCC agenda lists the item under GN Docket 26-74 and WT Dockets 22-323 and 24-629. If adopted, the rule takes effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, per DroneXL. The October 29 vote, if it proceeds as scheduled, would be the first Commission action to clear the 1991 prohibition.

The coalition behind WT Docket 22-323 spans both sides of the connectivity transaction. Network operators AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, along with their trade body CTIA, have filed in support, per DroneXL. Equipment makers Ericsson and Qualcomm supplied the engineering case. On the drone side, Zipline, Skydio, Lockheed Martin and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma filed, as did industry associations the Small UAV Coalition, AUVSI and the Commercial Drone Alliance, per DroneXL.

The carrier support is structurally significant. Unlike most spectrum proceedings where the bandwidth holders resist new users, AT&T and Verizon are requesting the change. Their motivation is commercial: drone connectivity is a recurring data-plan revenue stream, and BVLOS delivery and inspection networks will require contracted network capacity rather than opportunistic coverage. The alignment means the post-rule deployment path faces fewer commercial friction points than a spectrum sharing arrangement would.

Zipline also asked the FCC to permit drone use at reduced power or below a set altitude, per DroneXL. The question was revived through the FCC's 'Unleashing American Drone Dominance' public notice (DA 26-314) of April 1, per DroneXL, and the order cites no opposing commenter.

The FCC rule addresses spectrum access only. FAA authorisation for beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations remains a separate and independent requirement. Under the current regulatory structure, BVLOS flights require individual waivers or, once finalised, coverage under FAA Part 108. The FCC vote does not shorten that timeline or reduce that requirement.

The order's own use cases are farm fields and pipelines, per DroneXL, and DroneXL notes that DJI's consumer customers have no stake in the item: hobbyists flying DJI aircraft have been cut off from new hardware by the FCC's Covered List since December. Uptake will run through operators with compliant hardware.

The 5 GHz band for drones was allocated in 2024 and provides a precedent. The 5030-5091 MHz band was set aside for drone control links in 2024, but as of April the Commission had still not taken the steps needed to put it into service, per DroneXL. A spectrum ruling is not a working network: configuration, device certification and operator contracts all come after.