APPA joined the Edison Electric Institute, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and Large Public Power Council in submitting comments to the Federal Communications Commission that advance a coordinated electric industry position on enabling scalable unmanned aircraft systems deployment while protecting critical infrastructure and aviation safety.
In their May 28 comments, the groups made the following key points:
• Multi-network framework: Urges the FCC to adopt a multi-band, multi-network approach (commercial, private, and aviation spectrum) rather than relying on a single solution.
• Utility use case: Highlights utilities as an immediate, large-scale deployment opportunity for UAS to support grid resilience, emergency response, and infrastructure operations.
• Reliability and control: Emphasizes the need for private, utility-controlled networks and predictable interference conditions for safety-critical operations.
• Risk-based spectrum policy: Recommends targeted safeguards and a tiered framework to enable expanded spectrum use while protecting aviation and infrastructure systems.
“This filing helps shape the FCC’s near-term decisions on spectrum, licensing, and deployment frameworks that will directly affect utilities’ ability to scale drone operations for inspection, restoration, and situational awareness,” APPA noted.
