The company also argued that broadcast IDs made it difficult to create drone traffic control systems on a large scale. Traffic management will be vital for a drone industry that could use the network ID as a “key building block,” Wing said.
Wing said the FAA rules needed to “continue to evolve” to accommodate this, although it stopped before seeking official action. The agency emphasized that the identification system was an “initial structure” and that drone manufacturers have 18 months to develop their identification technology and seek approval.
The reality, as The Verge observed, it is more complicated. The FAA changed its strategy from network IDs to remote IDs due to a number of potential problems, including unreliable cell coverage and the possibility that data breaches at third-party brokers could land drones and compromise privacy. This does not negate the problems with broadcast IDs, but it does suggest that none of the current options are ideal.