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The Federal Communications Commission on Monday said it would ban new foreign-made drones, a move that will keep new Chinese-made drones such as those from DJI and Autel out of the U.S. market. The announcement came a year after Congress passed a defense bill that raised national security concerns about Chinese-made drones, which have become a dominant player in the U.S., widely used in farming, mapping, law enforcement,ss and filmmaking. The bill called for stopping the two Chinese companies from selling new drones in the U.S. if a review found they posed a risk to American national security. The deadline for the review was Dec. 23. The FCC said Monday the review found that all drones and critical components produced in foreign countries, not just by the two Chinese companies, posed unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States and to the safety and security of U.S. persons.” But it said specific drones or components would be exempt if the Pentagon or Department of Homeland Security determined they did not pose such risks. The FCC cited upcoming major events, such as the 2026 World Cup, America250 celebrations, and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, as reasons to address potential drone threats posed by criminals, hostile foreign actors, and terrorists.” Michael Robbins, president and chief executive officer of AUVSI, the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, said in a statement that the industry group welcomes the decision. He said it’s time for the U.S. not only to reduce its dependence on China but build its own drones. Recent history underscores why the United States must increase domestic drone production and secure its supply chains,” Robbins said, citing Beijing’s willingness to restrict critical supplies such as rare earth magnets to serve its strategic interests. DJI said it was disappointed by the FCC decision. While DJI was not singled out, no information has been released regarding what information was used by the Executive Branch in reaching its determination, it said in a statement. Concerns about DJIs data security have not been grounded in evidence and instead reflect protectionism, contrary to the principles of an open market, the company said. In Texas, Gene Robinson has a fleet of nine DJI drones that he uses for law enforcement training and forensic analyses. He said the new restrictions would hurt him and many others who have come to rely on the Chinese drones because of their versatility, high performance, and affordable prices. But he said he understands the decision and lamented that the U.S. had outsourced the manufacturing to China. Now, we are paying the price, Robinson said. To get back to where we had the independence, there will be some growing pains. We need to suck it up, and lets not have it happen again.” Also in Texas, Arthur Erickson, chief executive officer and co-founder of the drone-making company Hylio, said the departure of DJI would provide much-needed room for American companies like his to grow. New investments are pouring in to help him ramp up production of spray drones, which farmers use to fertilize their fields, and it will bring down prices, Erickson said. But he also called it crazy and unexpected that the FCC should expand the scope to all foreign-made drones and drone components. The way it’s written is a blanket statement, Erickson said. There’s a global allied supply chain. I hope they will clarify that. Didi Tang, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
The governor of Niigata on Tuesday formally gave local consent to put two reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in the north-central prefecture back online, clearing a last hurdle toward restarting the plant idled for more than a decade following the 2011 meltdowns at another plant managed by the same utility. Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi, in his meeting with Economy and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa, conveyed the prefecture’s “endorsement” to restart the No. 6 and No. 7 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, accepting the government’s pledge to ensure safety, emergency response and understanding of the residents. Restart preparations for No. 6 reactor have moved ahead and utility company TEPCO is expected to apply for a final safety inspection by the Nuclear Safety Authority later this week ahead of a possible resumption in January. Work at the other reactor is expected to take a few more years. The move comes one day after the Niigata prefectural assembly adopted a budget bill that included funding necessary for a restart, supporting the governor’s earlier consent. “It was a heavy and difficult decision,” Hanazumi told reporters. Hanazumi also met with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who also supports nuclear energy, and asked her to visit to observe the safety at the plant. Japan once planned to phase out atomic power following the disaster at the Fukushima plant caused by an earthquake and tsunami. But in the face of global fuel shortages, rising prices and pressure to reduce carbon emissions, the government has reversed its policy and is now seeking to increase nuclear energy use by accelerating reactor restarts, extending their operational lifespan and considering building new ones. Of the 57 commercial reactors, 13 are currently in operation, 20 are offline and 24 others are being decommissioned, according to the nuclear authorities. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, which comprises seven reactors, is the world’s biggest. The plant has been offline since 2012 as part of nationwide reactor shutdowns in response to the March 2011 triple meltdowns at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi plant. Reactors No. 6 and 7 at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa had cleared safety tests in 2017, but their restart preparations were suspended after a series of safeguarding problems were found in 2021. The Nuclear Regulation Authority lifted an operational ban at the plant in 2023. Its resumption again faced uncertainty following the Jan. 1, 2024, earthquake in the nearby Noto region that rekindled safety concerns among local residents about the plant and evacuation in case of a major disaster. The industry ministry sought an early resumption approval from Niigata two months later. In Japan, a reactor restart is subject to the local community’s consent. TEPCO, heavily burdened with the growing cost of decades-long decommissioning and compensation for residents affected by the Fukushima disaster, has been anxious to resume its only workable nuclear plant to improve its business. TEPCO has been struggling to regain public trust in safely running a nuclear power plant. Aside from plant safety, experts say acceleration of reactor restarts also raises concern in a country without full nuclear fuel reprocessing or plans for radioactive waste management. Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
The U.S. economy grew at a surprisingly strong 4.3% annual rate in the third quarter, the most rapid expansion in two years, as government and consumer spending, as well as exports, all increased.U.S. gross domestic product from July through September the economy’s total output of goods and services rose from its 3.8% growth rate in the April-June quarter, the Commerce Department said Tuesday in a report delayed by the government shutdown. Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast growth of 3% in the period.However, inflation remains higher than the Federal Reserve would like. The Fed’s favored inflation gauge called the personal consumption expenditures index, or PCE climbed to a 2.8% annual pace last quarter, up from 2.1% in the second quarter.Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core PCE inflation was 2.9%, up from 2.6% in the April-June quarter.Economists say that persistent and potentially worsening inflation could make a January interest rate cut from the Fed less likely, even as central bank official remain concerned about a slowing labor market.“If the economy keeps producing at this level, then there isn’t as much need to worry about a slowing economy,” said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for Northlight Asset Management, adding that inflation could return as the greatest concern about the economy.In a slow holiday trading week, U.S. markets on Wall Street turned lower following the GDP report, likely due to growing doubts that another Fed rate cut is coming next month.Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of U.S. economic activity, rose to a 3.5% annual pace last quarter, up from 2.5% in the April-June period.Consumption and investment by the government grew by 2.2% in the quarter after contracting 0.1% in the second quarter. The third quarter figure was boosted by increased expenditures at the state and local levels and federal government defense spending.Private business investment fell 0.3%, led by declines in investment in housing and in nonresidential buildings such as offices and warehouses. However, that decline was much less than the 13.8% slide in the second quarter.Within the GDP data, a category that measures the economy’s underlying strength grew at a 3% annual rate from July through September, up slightly from 2.9% in the second quarter. This category includes consumer spending and private investment, but excludes volatile items like exports, inventories and government spending.Exports grew at an 8.8% rate, while imports, which subtract from GDP, fell another 4.7%.Tuesday’s report is the first of three estimates the government will make of GDP growth for the third quarter of the year.Outside of the first quarter, when the economy shrank for the first time in three years as companies rushed to import goods ahead of President Donald Trump’s tariff rollout, the U.S. economy has continued to expand at a healthy rate. That’s despite much higher borrowing rates the Fed imposed in 2022 and 2023 in its drive to curb the inflation that surged as the United States bounced back with unexpected strength from the brief but devastating COVID-19 recession of 2020.Though inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target, the central bank cut its benchmark lending rate three times in a row to close out 2025, mostly out of concern for a job market that has steadily lost momentum since spring.Last week, the government reported that the U.S. economy gained a healthy 64,000 jobs in November but lost 105,000 in October. Notably, the unemployment rate rose to 4.6% last month, the highest since 2021.The country’s labor market has been stuck in a “low hire, low fire” state, economists say, as businesses stand pat due to uncertainty over Trump’s tariffs and the lingering effects of elevated interest rates. Since March, job creation has fallen to an average 35,000 a month, compared to 71,000 in the year ended in March. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has said that he suspects those numbers will be revised even lower. Matt Ott, AP Business Writer
Category:
E-Commerce
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