The FCC’s proposed overhaul of its ultra-wideband (UWB) rules seeks comment on drone-based UWB navigation, landing, and airborne operations.
By Geoffrey Starks and Chloé Lynn Nurik
Key Points
- The FCC launched a comprehensive review of its 2002 UWB rules and granted two rulemaking petitions.
- The NPRM expressly seeks comment on permitting UWB-based autonomous drone navigation and landing systems, and on revisiting the long-standing ban on UWB operation aboard aircraft.
On October 1, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to modernize the Part 15, Subpart F rules governing ultra-wideband (UWB) devices. The NPRM explains that the technological landscape has rapidly evolved since the FCC first adopted UWB rules in 2002, making it timely to revisit these rules. Over the past two decades, the FCC has engaged in “regulation by waiver” but now believes a different framework may be required to promote innovation. The NPRM has broad implications for commercial drone operators.
UWB is a low-power, unlicensed technology that typically uses channel bandwidths of 500 MHz or more to determine distance and direction over short ranges with high precision. It is used to tag and track property, provide keyless entries, and facilitate smart home controls. Like all unlicensed Part 15 devices, UWB operates on a non-interference basis: it must not cause harmful interference, and must accept interference.
The FCC’s current rules are organized around device categories such as ground-penetrating radar, imaging, surveillance, medical, indoor, and handheld systems. They prohibit UWB operation aboard aircraft, ships, or satellites, and prohibit its use in toys. In the NPRM, the FCC grants two petitions filed in 2019 and 2025 and opens a comprehensive rulemaking.
The NPRM proposes a broad modernization of the FCC’s UWB rules. Several aspects of the proposal are relevant to drone operations.
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