Protected Command and Management Communications for UAS – FCC Half 88 – sUAS Information

Christian Ramsey, uAvionix Chief Industrial Officer

“Radio frequency spectrum is amongst our Nation’s most vital nationwide assets.” With these opening phrases printed on Nov 13, 2023 within the Modernizing United States Spectrum Coverage and Establishing a Nationwide Spectrum Technique, the President of the USA set in movement the latest, and most influential act to-date to safe protected spectrum for Uncrewed Plane Programs (UAS) Past Visible Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. That memorandum directed the Nationwide Telecommunications and Info Administration (NTIA) to publish and act upon a Nationwide Spectrum Technique Implementation Plan. That plan was printed on March 4, 2024, and “Pillar One” of that technique is titled “Guarantee spectrum assets can be found to assist non-public sector innovation now and into the longer term.” Pillar One particularly calls out the usage of the 5030-5091 MHz spectrum band – a band designated by the Worldwide Telecommunications Union (ITU), World Radio Convention (WRC), and Worldwide Civil Aviation Group (ICAO) for use for Command and Non-Payload Management (CNPC) datalinks for uncrewed plane. 

And never lengthy after – by way of a whole lot of blood, sweat, rage quits, and legal professionals’ payments – we lastly, FINALLY have an preliminary set of service guidelines governing this band. On Friday, Aug 30, 2024 the Federal Communications Fee (FCC) printed “Half 88 – Uncrewed Plane System Providers” governing the usage of this band for UAS CNPC. The CNPC acronym is commonly used interchangeably with Command and Management (C2), however there is a vital distinction. CNPC is particularly outlined in Half 88 as “any transmission that’s despatched between the UA (Uncrewed Plane) and the UAS floor station […] that helps the protection or regularity of the UA’s flight.” Notably, this doesn’t embrace “Payload” which is outlined as “Info that’s despatched to or from a UA part to realize mission aims and isn’t CNPC.” So Payload communications might embrace issues like high-bandwidth video and never be included in CNPC. Nonetheless, typically “C2” can imply each CNPC and Payload – so simply be conscious of the proper time period. 

That is Half 1 of a multi-part collection on this rule, what it incorporates and what’s subsequent. On this first put up, we’re simply going to bask within the glow of the importance of the rule and speak a bit of about its significance. Within the subsequent half, we’ll dive a bit of deeper into what the rule says and incorporates, and within the ultimate half, we’ll discuss what’s but to come back. So right here we go. 

Why is that this vital? It’s all in regards to the Spectrum. 

POTUS referenced above mentioned that spectrum is a nationwide useful resource. It’s additionally a black magic physics thriller to most of us. The way it interacts with the bodily world is as much as the Radio Frequency (RF) engineers, however a number of organizations all over the world make and implement choices on how it’s used. Why? It’s a restricted useful resource in excessive demand. Like most issues, it’s restricted BECAUSE it’s in excessive demand. If too many issues are broadcasting and receiving on comparable frequencies with no nicely thought out plan, nicely – issues simply don’t work very nicely as a result of each message is garbled and is getting stomped on by the entire site visitors on the market.

So we now have to have some guidelines. Typically the principles come within the type of technical traits like broadcast energy, message content material, frequencies used, and so forth. These are referred to as requirements. When a radio gear producer like uAvionix needs to convey a product to market, we now have to design to, adhere to, and typically certify to these requirements. Seems, business has been creating the requirements for about 10 years now, and we are able to level to them (resembling RTCA DO-362A and TSO-C213a) and say we conform with these requirements. We’ve got a couple of radios that do exactly that (see our SkyLink 5060 lineup). 

One other sort of rule is known as a “Service Rule”. Layered on high of the technical efficiency of requirements, Service Guidelines dictate the authorized setting through which we are able to function. This has been the lacking piece, and that is what the brand new Half 88 is. Service Guidelines are encoded within the Code of Federal Laws (CFR) and are enforced by rule of regulation – so if you’re a foul actor and blasting away not adhering to the principles – you’re legally liable. That is what “Protected Spectrum” means, and a particular sort of Protected Spectrum is “Aviation Protected Spectrum” – that are guidelines particular to aviation. Does designating Protected Spectrum make any sort of interference like jamming unattainable? Under no circumstances, nevertheless it makes the implications of doing a lot increased. With the publishing of Half 88, the 5030-5091MHz band is Aviation Protected Spectrum, and we now have the principles and the requirements by which we are able to transfer ahead. 

And right here is the ultimate “why” of this put up – Why is it vital to have Aviation Protected Spectrum for CNPC? Up till now, a really, very giant proportion of UAS operations are working on non-protected spectrum – sharing the identical frequencies that your Wi-Fi router or storage door opener makes use of – and there’s no safety or precedence given to the UAS, regardless that interference may trigger a number of eventualities the place folks may get harm or killed. The right and almost deadly instance of an virtually worst-case situation occurred within the UK in 2019 when a 95kg (!!!) drone misplaced its hyperlink attributable to interference, flew into managed airspace at 8,000ft earlier than plummeting to the bottom only a mile away from a crowd of 35,000 at a pageant. It’s a fascinating learn and I encourage all to take it in. Working with non-protected spectrum isn’t a protected future for UAS operations, and it’s important that as we transfer ahead to the BVLOS guidelines beneath the FAA’s Half 108 to be printed early subsequent yr, that protected spectrum is taken into account as a security layer. The FCC’s Half 88 brings that to readability the place we beforehand had none. 

Kudos to the organizations and people who’ve put numerous hours over the previous decade in creating the requirements and repair guidelines to get us thus far. That is an unimaginable accomplishment. There’s extra to come back for certain, however this can get us flying extra safely than ever earlier than!