Whether you view it as a great safety protocol, or a blatant violation of privacy, Remote ID (RID) for drones/unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is on its way. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the purpose of RID is to allow drone identification and location information to safety and security authorities, as well as other pilots, while the drone is in flight.

On December 31, 2019, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Federal Register under Docket No. FAA-2019-1100. The public comment period closed on March 2, 2020. A copy of the proposed rule and public comments can be found here.

The proposed rule brought a lot of opposition from both commercial UAV pilots as well as hobbyists. Some of the more controversial provisions of the proposed rule include monthly fees that drone operators must pay, drones must send its GPS position at all times while in flight, and the drone must have an active internet connection while in flight. The latter provision obviously has significant impacts for UAV pilots that operate in rural areas where internet and cellular connections are virtually non-existent. The RID technology will be required for any drones weighing more than 250 grams (basically any drone larger than the DJI Mavic Mini).

In December 2018, the FAA issued a Request for Information (RFI) in order to establish an industry group to explore potential technological solutions for Remote ID. In early May 2020, the FAA announced that it had entered into Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with the following seven companies to develop RID technology: Airbus, AirMap, Amazon, Intel, One Sky, Skyward, T-Mobile and Wing. Several of these companies stand to benefit financially from RID technology as it applies to commercial drone delivery.