Source: United States Senator for Florida Marco Rubio
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced the Countering CCP Drones Act to add Chinese Communist Party affiliated drone company Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI) to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Covered List. The list identifies telecommunication equipment that poses a threat to America’s national security and bans it from U.S. communications infrastructure. Earlier this week, the Washington Post confirmed that the Chinese government is an investor in DJI, which supplies more than 50 percent of drones sold in the U.S., directly contradicting DJI’s prior public statements. Congresswoman Elise Sefanik (R-NY) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Chinese drone-maker DJI has repeatedly lied about its links to the Chinese Communist Party while collecting vast quantities of Americans’ data,” Rubio said. “The FCC should act immediately to further ban DJI by adding it to its Covered List.”
“Communist China funds technology, like drones made by DJI, to spy on Americans and steal their data,” Scott said. “The United States Government should under no circumstance purchase drones made in Communist China and put our national security at risk and that’s why my colleagues and I introduced the American Security Drone Act. The Countering CCP Drones Act is the next step to ensure that federal funds from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) cannot be used to obtain communications equipment and services produced or provided by DJI. I’m proud to introduce this important bill in the Senate and urge my colleagues to join me in support.”
“Chinese companies are beholden to the Chinese Communist Party. DJI can’t be trusted—we shouldn’t allow its equipment to be used alongside American communications technology,” Cotton said.
“DJI drones pose the national security threat of Huawei, but with wings,” Stefanik said. “The possibility that DJI drones could be equipped to send live imagery of military installations, critical infrastructure, and the personal lives of American citizens to China poses too great a threat. Allowing this practice to continue in the U.S. is playing with fire. This Chinese-controlled company cannot be allowed to continue to operate in the U.S.”