FINAL RULE ON
REMOTE ID
By Tyler Dobbs, Government Affairs director | tylerd@modelaircraft.org
ON DECEMBER 28, 2020, the UAS industry saw the long-awaited FAA Final Rule on Remote ID. This rule, although not perfect, provides the hobby community with a much more reasonable approach to satisfying Remote ID than what was proposed in December 2019.
The AMA community deserves an enormous amount of credit for its efforts in helping to shape this rule. Your support of AMA, calls to Congress, and tens of thousands of comments to the Federal Register were driving forces behind the changes. It is extraordinarily rare to see an FAA proposed rule change so drastically in the final version.
When it was published, the FAA Final Rule on Remote ID and public comments were outlined in a 470-page document. I have provided a brief summary of it.
Summary of the Rule
The FAA Final Rule on Remote ID was released on December 28, 2020. There are three ways to comply with the new rule:
Standard Remote ID
- Broadcast equipment must be built into your UAS by the manufacturer.
- Your UAS is required to have a radio frequency spectrum to broadcast your location, altitude, identification, emergency status, etc., to both your UAS and control station.
- Your UAS must be designed to not take off if it is not broadcasting a signal.
- All UAS manufactured to fly in the National Airspace System (NAS) need to meet standards and have certification of the Standard Remote ID requirements.
Broadcast Modules
- If your UAS is older (nonstandard), a broadcast module option is available.
- Your module will send the same signal as Standard Remote ID, except for emergency status and control station information. The information that will be broadcast is your UAS takeoff location and your altitude. Your module will also need to signal if your UAS is not working properly.
- The FAA anticipates that these modules will cost approximately $20 to $50.
- These modules are only permitted for visual line-of-sight operations.
FAA-Recognized Identification Areas
- FAA-Recognized Identification Areas (FRIAs) are valid for 48 months and can be renewed and changed.
- FRIAs require that the flying site be under the umbrella of a community-based organization or educational institution.
- Only visual line-of-sight operations are permitted at FRIAs.
Implementation Timeline
The FAA Final Rule for Remote ID will have an implementation period before operators will be required to fully comply. A person operating in the NAS will need to comply with Remote ID requirements beginning 60 days and 30 months from the Federal Register publish date. Manufacturers will need to begin complying with the new rules beginning 60 days from the Federal Register publish date for production of broadcast modules, and 60 days and 18 months from the Federal Register publish date for production of Standard Remote ID UAS. The process to apply to become a FRIA will begin 60 days and 18 months from the Federal Register publish date.
The registration requirements for UAS have remained the same.
- You will need to register with the FAA and receive a unique registration number that must be displayed on all of your UAS. If you are complying with Remote ID via option 1 (Standard Remote ID), the serial number associated with the UAS you are flying must be registered under your unique FAA registration number. If you are complying with Remote ID via option 2 (Broadcast Modules), the broadcast module’s serial number must be registered under your unique FAA registration number.
- To register with the FAA, you will need to visit faadronezone.faa.gov. Your registration will need to be renewed every 3 years and costs $5. If you are being asked to pay more than $5, you are on a scam site. For a step-by-step guide on how to register, visit amablog.modelaircraft.org/amagov/2020/12/16/faa-registration-renewal-process.
Special events, such as air shows or other temporary events, will have a path to receive authorization from the administrator to deviate from the Remote ID operation rules. Additionally, recreational and educational operators can “home build” UAS without meeting manufacturer certification standards. This allows homebuilt UAS to be operated at a FRIA or under option 2 (Broadcast Modules).
Many probably remember the overly burdensome solutions in the FAA’s Proposed Rule on Remote ID. The included table shows the differences between the FAA’s proposed rule and the final rule.
Important Changes To Note Between The Proposed Rule And The Final Rule
PROPOSED RULE
Internet connectivity required.
Paid monthly subscription to UAS service Supplier.
FRIAs could only be requested in first year.
Per-aircraft registration.
Special events not addressed.
Included a 400-foot range limit.
High cost associated with compliance.
Amateur-built aircraft included a 50% build/fabrication requirement.
FINAL RULE
Broadcast only, no internet needed.
Requirement removed along with removal of internet requirement.
FRIAs can be requested or changed indefinitely.
Individual registration, operator registers only once.
Pathway for special events to deviate from Remote ID rules.
400-foot limit removed.
Cost decreased by 60%.
Build percentage requirement removed and “home-build” was added with no requirement to meet manufacturer certification standards for recreational or educational use.
AMA understands that the Remote ID rule is complex and can seem overwhelming, and will work with its members and clubs to assist them through all of the steps of implementation. Throughout the coming months and years, you will hear more about the Remote ID rule though our media channels and through email. In the meantime, do not hesitate to contact the AMA Government Affairs department with any questions that you might have.
