Remote ID gets discussed as either a safety necessity or a privacy invasion, and most of the argument happens without anyone stating what the system actually transmits. If you’re studying for the Part 107 knowledge test, you need the specifics anyway — so here they are, with the sections they come from.
The short version: standard Remote ID broadcasts the drone’s position and the location of the control station, meaning roughly where you’re standing. It does not broadcast your name. That single distinction resolves most of the confusion.
The two ways to comply, and why they differ
Part 89 gives you two compliant paths, and the difference between them is the most practical thing on this page.
Standard Remote ID is built into the aircraft. Under 14 CFR 89.110, it broadcasts the control station’s latitude, longitude, and geometric altitude — alongside the aircraft’s own position. In plain terms, a standard Remote ID drone is transmitting where the drone is and where the pilot is.
A broadcast module is an add-on for aircraft that don’t have Remote ID built in. Under 14 CFR 89.115(a), it broadcasts the takeoff location instead of the live control station location. Both still broadcast the aircraft’s own position.
That is a real, usable difference. With standard Remote ID, if you move during the flight, the broadcast follows you. With a broadcast module, the transmitted ground location stays at the takeoff point — move after launch and the module doesn’t report where you’ve walked to. If the control-station broadcast is the part that bothers you, that’s the distinction worth knowing.
What it doesn’t broadcast
There is no name, address, or phone number in a Remote ID broadcast. The signal carries a unique identifier, but that identifier ties back to registration data the public cannot access. So “anyone with an app can look up who’s flying” is not correct — a member of the public sees an anonymous ID and location data, not your identity.
That’s also why the serial number matters on your registration. The serial of your standard Remote ID aircraft or broadcast module has to be entered in your registration record in FAA DroneZone, so the anonymous broadcast can be associated with the registration if an authority needs to. If the serial on file doesn’t match the aircraft actually flying, that link breaks — which is a compliance problem, not just paperwork.
What happens if the equipment fails
This comes up on the exam and it’s worth internalizing for real flying too. Remote ID has to be working from takeoff to shutdown. If your preflight check shows the Remote ID equipment isn’t broadcasting, you may not take off — outside of a FRIA, there’s no altitude or distance exception that lets you fly anyway. If it fails in the air, you land as soon as practicable.
The one place you can fly without it
An aircraft with neither standard Remote ID nor a broadcast module isn’t grounded entirely. Under Part 89 it may be operated within an FAA-Recognized Identification Area (a FRIA) — a specific approved location — and it must stay within visual line of sight. Outside a FRIA, no Remote ID means no flight.
Practice questions on this
If you’re studying, these three are the ones that separate the people who understand Remote ID from the people who just memorized “Remote ID = required.”
1. Which location information is broadcast by a small unmanned aircraft with standard Remote ID, but NOT by one using a broadcast module?
A. The takeoff location of the aircraft
B. The location of the aircraft itself
C. The location of the control station
Answer: C. Standard Remote ID (89.110) broadcasts the control station’s location. A broadcast module (89.115(a)) broadcasts the takeoff location instead. Both broadcast the aircraft’s own position.
2. During preflight, the remote pilot finds the required Remote ID equipment isn’t functioning. Outside a FRIA, the remote pilot:
A. May not take off until the Remote ID equipment is functioning properly
B. May take off if the flight remains below 200 feet AGL
C. May take off and troubleshoot in flight
Answer: A. Part 89 requires Remote ID to function from takeoff to shutdown. If it isn’t broadcasting on preflight, the aircraft may not launch outside a FRIA.
3. A home-built drone was produced without Remote ID. To operate it legally outside a FRIA under Part 107, the owner may:
A. Simply file a NOTAM before each flight
B. Attach an FAA-accepted broadcast module, add its serial number to the registration, and operate within visual line of sight
C. Operate normally, because home-built aircraft are exempt
Answer: B. 89.115(a) lets you comply with a module listed on an FAA-accepted declaration of compliance, with its serial recorded in the registration, flown within visual line of sight. Home-builts get no blanket exemption.
The short version
- Standard Remote ID broadcasts the drone’s position and the control station location (roughly where you stand) — 89.110.
- A broadcast module broadcasts the drone’s position and the takeoff location instead — 89.115(a). Move after launch and it doesn’t follow you.
- Neither broadcasts your name. The public sees an anonymous ID, not your identity.
- Remote ID must work from takeoff to shutdown; if it’s dead on preflight, you don’t fly (outside a FRIA).
- No Remote ID at all means FRIA-only, within visual line of sight.
Want to practice the whole regulations section this way? The free 90-question Regulations drill runs in your browser, and every answer names the section it comes from — the same way this article does.
← Back to the Part 107 Study Hub for the free drill and more plain-English guides to the regulations.
Study aid only. Not flight instruction and not legal advice. Regulations change — always verify against current FAA publications before you fly. These are original questions written to the ACS standards from public FAA material, not FAA exam questions.