The FAA has long been planning to issue regulations for remotely operated aircraft. Currently, non-commercial uses are basically unregulated while commercial ones are prohibited unless the operator secures permission from the FAA, which is granted on a largely ad hoc, case-by-case basis. What constitutes "commercial use" is unclear, as well.
But the FAA's plans to regulate drone activity have drawn fire from Capitol Hill, even prior to their publication. On Tuesday, November 25, five Senators (Wyden [Or], Merkley [WV], Hoeven [ND], Heitkamp [ND], and Booker [NJ]) sent a letter to Administrator Huerta, expressing concern on a variety of levels. While the Senators urged the speedy publication of the rules, primarily because regulatory uncertainty is harming the development of the domestic US drone industry, they also expressed caution, in that a poorly developed rule could exacerbate safety hazards to other aircraft and the general public.
The FAA has set a date of September 2015 to propose full "integration" of drones into the US's National Air Space (NAS), which means that any forthcoming proposed rule will include a significant comment period.
Many NCISS members use drones for a variety of legitimate professional purposes, including locating vehicles, property and individuals, and conducting a lawful surveillance and tracking. Drones can greatly improve effectiveness, and dramatically enhance public safety while employed by trained NCISS professionals.
NCISS and Lobbyit will be monitoring the publication of such proposed regulations, and will notify NCISS members when such rules issue, including an analysis of how such rules might
impact NCISS member activities.
Subsequent to publication, NCISS and Lobbyit will also populate our Advocacy Hub with the necessary content and advocacy materials so NCISS members can contact the appropriate FAA officials with concerns, objections, and policy recommendations for the proposed rule.
Thank you for your attention to this important issue and, as always, stay tuned!
