The FCC's wide-ranging public notice seeking comment on drone spectrum, licensing, and counter-UAS policy. The original comment dates — May 1, 2026 (comments) and May 18, 2026 (replies) — have passed; this briefing is retained as an archival reference.
DA 26-314, released April 1, 2026 by the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology (GN Docket No. 26-74; WT Docket Nos. 22-323 and 24-629), is a public notice seeking comment on actions the Commission could take on drone spectrum and policy. It grants no new spectrum, adopts no rules, and confers no operating authority.
The licensed-spectrum history, correctly stated: the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference allocated the 5030–5091 MHz band for aeronautical mobile route service to support UAS control links. The FCC mirrored that international allocation, and in August 2024 adopted service rules under a new Part 88 allowing operators to obtain direct frequency assignments in a portion of the band for non-networked operations. The 2024 decision included an interim access mechanism providing temporary access to 20 megahertz (5040–5060 MHz) through FAA coordination and FCC registration, with a dynamic frequency management system as the medium-term solution and a final band plan anticipated longer term. Implementation is ongoing — this is not a band that was "allocated in 2024 and never implemented."
What spectrum access does not do: a frequency assignment is not a guarantee of interference-free operation, and it is not FAA operating authority. BVLOS approval runs through the FAA's separate waiver, exemption, and rulemaking processes regardless of what the FCC does in this proceeding.
Equipment authorization versus continued use: the notice states that already-authorized devices can continue to be used. The notice does not impose a fleet-grounding date on devices that hold authorization.
Supplementary material under review: the video briefing, infographic, and slide deck that previously accompanied this pack are being re-reviewed for accuracy and are not part of this corrected briefing. The corrected reference material is the summary on this page and the official FCC notice (DA-26-314A1.pdf).
WRC-2012 allocated 5030–5091 MHz for UAS control links; the FCC mirrored the allocation and adopted Part 88 service rules in August 2024, with interim access to 20 MHz (5040–5060 MHz) via FAA coordination and FCC registration. The notice asks how to build on that.
Comments were due May 1, 2026 and reply comments May 18, 2026, per the original notice. Those windows are closed; consult the docket at fcc.gov/ecfs for the proceeding's current status and any later actions, which UAVHQ has not verified.
UAVHQ's editorial grouping of the notice: dedicated spectrum, experimental licensing, testbeds, Counter-UAS barriers, federal coordination, and investment incentives. The notice also seeks comment on workforce, law enforcement support, and a central information resource.
Builds directly on two June 2025 executive orders and the December 2025 Covered List expansion. In our editorial judgment, one of the broader regulatory openings for operator input in years.
Better-defined licensed spectrum could improve command-link options for BVLOS — but an inquiry is not a rule, spectrum access is not interference immunity, and nothing here substitutes for FAA operating authority.
Original deadlines — now passed: the notice set comments due May 1, 2026 and reply comments due May 18, 2026 (DA 26-314, p. 1). This briefing is retained as an archival reference, checked September 15, 2026. UAVHQ has not verified whether any extension, reopening, or subsequent action followed the original notice; consult the docket at fcc.gov/ecfs for the proceeding's current status.
Source: FCC DA 26-314 Full Text (PDF) · FCC Electronic Comment Filing System
The original notice's filing windows closed in May 2026. This checklist is retained as a reference for how to prepare substantive, defensible comments in this proceeding's later phases or in successor proceedings — check the docket before acting on any deadline.
FCC Electronic Comment Filing: fcc.gov/ecfs · Full text: DA-26-314A1.pdf
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