I am so sorry, fellow US gadget fans: the FCC’s drone ban appears to have struck again. The HoverAir Versa — a baby steadycam with snap-on propeller wings that transform it into a drone — has already stopped taking US orders just three days after its Indiegogo debut, and may be forced to abandon shipping plans in the US.
HoverAir is now telling backers it’s only shipping its camera to the US, not the piece that turns it into a drone, “due to a few remaining logistics updates with the Flight Kit.” But those “logistics” may actually be a euphemism for “we’ve been banned by the federal government.” The FCC’s database no longer has an entry for the HoverAir Versa at all, suggesting that its authorization grant has been pulled.
On Wednesday, I told you how giving a camera wings probably wasn’t a good enough loophole to keep the FCC from feeling tricked. Even though the HoverAir Versa did make it through the FCC on August 9th, we confirmed, that approval was for a camera, not a drone. The Chinese company, Zero Zero Robotics, told the FCC’s agent the camera shouldn’t be blocked because Zero Zero isn’t on the FCC’s Covered List for cameras — which is true.
But all companies are automatically on the FCC’s covered list for drones and critical drone components, and the FCC explicitly defines cameras as one of those components.
If HoverAir’s camera authorization is now rejected, it won’t just be the “Flight Kit” accessory that it can’t import, market, or sell in the United States. The camera portion won’t be legal, either, as it needs FCC authorization too.
Currently, HoverAir’s Indiegogo page no longer shows the “Flight Kit” as a selectable option to people browsing from the US, but it does still market it, and backers can order the camera portion. When I use a VPN to change my internet address to Canada, combos that include the Flight Kit suddenly appear.
That won’t help US residents buy one, though. In the Indiegogo comments section, one backer who already ordered the camera wrote: “When looking at my pledge, it shows that they can’t ship to my address.”
HoverAir did not immediately respond to a request for comment. We’ve asked the company whether it will commit to refunds more quickly this time around — when the brand failed to obtain certification for the waterproof HoverAir Aqua last December, it spent months telling backers it would ship as soon as possible rather than revealing the truth.
I tried to speak to the FCC about what’s going on, but once again, an agency spokesperson refused to go on the record.