REMOTE ID IS STILL A MESS
By Tyler Dobbs, Senior Director of Government Affairs | tylerd@modelaircraft.org
THE AMA GOVERNMENT Affairs staff again attended EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. This air show provides an amazing venue, thousands of full-scale aircraft, hands-on RC flying, youth activities, and much more. In addition to the attractions, this event allows AMA to meet with FAA and Department of Transportation (DOT) leadership, industry partners, and AMA members from across the country.
This year, we met with representatives from FAA Policy and Aviation Safety in an effort to find better solutions to Remote ID implementation. As I drafted this article, we had one month until the September 16, 2023, Remote ID deadline, and the FAA had only processed 15% of the FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA) applications that have been submitted. In addition, many of the broadcast modules that have FAA approval are still unavailable for purchase.
I hope that by the time readers receive this article, the FAA has issued notice that enforcement of the Remote ID requirement has been postponed for a few months.
Many AMA members plan to fly at a Remote ID-exempt or FRIA site. AMA has been submitting club applications for nearly a year and it has been a burdensome process, with few results to date by the FAA. In addition, a few dozen FRIA applications have been denied based on “safety concerns” at the club’s location. Often, the denials are at locations where the club has been operating for decades without incident.
AMA has asked the FAA how operating at these locations with a broadcast module increases the level of safety. We have also asked why our operations at these locations haven’t been shut down if safety to the national airspace has been jeopardized. Believe it or not, we have not been able to get an answer to our questions. In fact, many within the FAA have stated that Remote ID is security-related and has nothing to do with safety, yet almost every denial has been because of a safety-related concern.
It’s difficult to take the agency’s Remote ID rule seriously when those who are attempting to comply are met with bureaucratic hurdle after bureaucratic hurdle. Until AMA is given justification as to how Remote ID modules increase the safety of operations, we will continue to push the issue with FAA/DOT leadership and members of Congress, as well as reapply for FRIA status at these locations.
For those who are not flying at a FRIA, AMA will continue to work with developers to get more basic options at lower prices. Although broadcast module prices are coming down significantly, they still are at prices much higher than the FAA noted in its Final Rule. Additionally, at the time that I wrote this article, most of the modules that have submitted an FAA Declaration of Compliance are backordered. Many of the modules that users can get their hands on today are roughly $300. This high price point makes you wonder if the Office of Management and Budget would have approved the FAA’s cost analysis if they would have known that Remote ID would cost the public much more than the anticipated $50.
One thing is clear: Remote ID is a security initiative, not a safety initiative, and the FAA is struggling to implement something out of their wheelhouse. AMA members have a long history of safe operations and compliance with operating rules. That stated, our patience is wearing thin regarding Remote ID. The FAA needs to provide expedited FRIA approvals for those wishing to comply through the location-based option and work to lower costs of Remote ID broadcast modules for those not flying at a FRIA.
