This statement is bizarre: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/09/15/2023-20074/enforcement-policy-regarding-operator-compliance-deadline-for-remote-identification-of-unmanned
Acknowledges RID modules are not available, over 1000 FRIA applications not yet processed, and firmware updates for existing drones are not yet available. Costs are far, far higher than the FAAs estimate of $50 per module, per aircraft.
There is no evidence the FAA reviewed substantive comments from all comment filers. I filed over 75 pages of single spaced and heavily noted with citations comments, as a retired computer engineer, with a pilot’s license, and patents in both wireless and aviation technology. I doubt that the FAA read any comments from individuals and only processed those from industry, trade groups and organizations.
Now the FAA says thry will take into consideration that many cannot comply but has not made a blanket deferral of the RID requirement effective Sep 16, 2023. The FAAs statement is intentionally ambiguous word salad.
The FAA acknowledges the main reason for considering deferral is because many public safety agencies were not able to comply and the rules have grounded their fleets.
The primary reason for RID was not security but to enable automated collision avoidance for industrial package delivery drones flying autonomously.
The FAA has lied about almost everything regarding RID, and like so many institutions, can no longer be trusted. They are not even hiding this. The FAA’s performance on this has been wholly inadequate.
