REGULATORY UPDATE FOR NCISS MEMBERS
-- FAA Rules on Drone Operation Unlikely in 2014
On Wednesday, December 11, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials admitted in a hearing before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I) that the agency would likely not issue proposed regulations on drone operation in 2014, despite earlier assurances that the proposed rule was on track.
Congress required the FAA to issue a final rule integrating drones into the national airspace by September 2015, a date that now seems highly unlikely.
Moreover, witnesses at the hearing speculated that the FAA's rule would not be finalized until sometime in 2017, 2 years behind their statutory requirement.
Lawmakers expressed concern that the delay left drone operators in legal limbo, and disadvantaged the development of the domestic U.S. commercial drone industry.
Meanwhile, in remarks delivered to the National Conference of State legislatures on Thursday, Mark Bury, the FAA's assistant chief counsel said, "We still have faint hope that we can get [the rule] out this year," [but] that hope is rapidly slipping away."
A slew of new drone-related legislation is expected in the 114th Congress, so watch for further legislative and regulatory alerts on the use of drone technology.
Thank you for your attention to this important issue and, as always, stay tuned!
