What is next with remote ID?
The March 2 comment period on the FAA’s remote ID proposal has ended. Over 50,000 people left comments. There was a peaceful protest in Washington DC. Now, what happens? The answer is…we wait. But there is hope. DJI released a statement as part of their 89-page submission talking about how the FAA is off base in a number of areas and vastly underestimates the costs to both the consumer and the government.
DJI vs FAA
DJI took a data-based approach to give the FAA points on how the remote ID plan fails to meet the needs of the community at large. After reading and researching remote ID it almost seems like the FAA was waiting for someone to do this research for them. When it comes to money hopefully the FAA is listening. DJI estimates that the cost to implement remote ID over a ten year period is likely closer to $5.6 billion vs the FAA estimate of $582 million. They also estimate the monthly cost to consumers is closer to $10 rather than the $2.50 estimate from the FAA. You can read their full comment here.
DJI doesn’t stop there. They, like many others, offer more reasonable options for remote ID.
DJI recently demonstrated a “Drone-to-Phone” broadcast Remote ID solution which uses an open, non-proprietary industry standard and provides Remote ID information on commonly-available smartphones without imposing any extra cost or effort on drone operators. This demonstration showed that Remote ID can be accomplished in a way that is far cheaper and easier than what the FAA has proposed.
RDQ vs FAA
DJI isn’t the only company that is taking on the FAA. Race Day Quads has announced their intent to challenge the FAA in court. If you aren’t familiar with Race Day Quads they are a US-based drone company that specializes in selling parts and solutions for FPV and race drones. Learn more about RDQ here.
We did informally ask a few lawyers and did a bit of research ourselves on the legality of the NPRM. I have to believe that RDQ has a real case. Hopefully, a company like DJI will join forces with RDQ to make it happen. Here is the letter from Tyler Brennan, owner of Race Day Quads.
Today I’d like to formally announce our intent to challenge the NPRM, or any Remote ID rule which is unlawful or detrimental to the hobby, in court.
This week we will begin the interview process with lawyers who specialize in this area, and begin researching ways in which we can effectively challenge or inhibit Remote ID at this stage. We intend to issue the FAA a Threat of Suit, which will officially inform the FAA of our intention (RaceDayQuads, LLC v. FAA) should they pass any parts of the NPRM which we perceive as unconstitutional.
I am prepared to fight to the death of RDQ to win this, and if we must, we will escalate this to the highest court we can until we get an acceptable result.
I did announce our intention to do this at the UFDA protest in DC this past weekend, and following that many people asked how they can help.
For now, continue to fight the good fight because we can still make a difference before engaging in a costly legal battle. The intent here is to hit them from all sides so that we don’t have to go to court with this. We’ve done well with the comments, now it is time for our committees and letters to our local congressmen to have positive effect. At the same time, we will research the issues and send a Threat of Suit, to clue them into what battles they could face in the courtroom.
Financially, RDQ will bear the brunt of the cost for as long as possible or as long as we think we can bear the total cost of the case. Taking a case to the Supreme Court, for example, will cost well over $1M. Should we get to the point we cannot bear the cost, or we think the overall cost to bring an effective case against the FAA will exceed what our finances allow, then we will start a GoFundMe or provide other ways to donate, and crowd source the effort. I don’t think that will be necessary until we get closer to an actual court battle. For now, you can help us financially support the effort by just continuing to support us with your everyday purchases. If you have any connections to people or groups which could be beneficial in this impending case, please let me know.
I have no idea what the outcome of all of this will be, but I assure you we will not go down without one hell of a fight!
-Tyler Brennan
Owner, RaceDayQuads
What happens next with remote ID?
While officially we are in a holding period with remote ID it is clear that things will change. The proposal does call for a three year period after the rules have been written. I suspect it will take some time before the lawmakers make a decision. I’m thankful to the community that has voiced their opinion. Now we wait to see if we were truly heard.
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