Isophoric News · Thursday, October 22, 2026
FCC to vote Oct. 29 on letting drones use the 800 MHz cellular band
The Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to vote Oct. 29 on a Report and Order that would end a decades-old restriction keeping drones out of the 800 MHz cellular band, according to the agency's tentative agenda announced Oct. 8. The item, "Unlocking the 800 MHz Cellular Band for Drone Use," is still a draft: the FCC says the circulated document is "under consideration and subject to change" and is not official action, so the commission could amend or withdraw it before the meeting. The order would modify Section 22.925 of the FCC's rules to allow drones to use the band, which covers 824 to 849 MHz and 869 to 894 MHz, and would add a primary mobile allocation for drone operations to the U.S. Table of Frequency Allocations, the FCC's fact sheet says. The FCC describes the band as 50 megahertz of licensed, nationwide, low-band spectrum.
The restriction began as a 1984 FCC policy and was written into the rules in 1991, intended, the draft says, to address interference from fast-moving handsets used on aircraft. The draft would find the rule no longer necessary for drones because modern wireless networks use technologies that prevent drones from causing interference. It describes "substantial and broad-based support" from wireless carriers including AT&T and Verizon, drone companies including Zipline and Skydio, equipment makers and industry associations; the text I read names no opposing comments.
The order would not allow passengers to use phones in flight: the fact sheet says it would keep the existing provision in Section 22.925 that prohibits airline passengers from operating mobile devices on airborne aircraft. The draft also says drone operators remain subject to the FCC's Part 22 service rules and to Federal Aviation Administration rules. If adopted, the rule would take effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. The dockets are GN Docket No. 26-74 and WT Docket Nos. 22-323 and 24-629.