Analysis By Drone Attorney Finds Uneven Enforcement

The FAA has been very uneven in its enforcement of alleged UAV violations, according to analysis conducted by Rupprecht Law.

Recently released documents under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request show that there have been 23 prosecutions brought by the FAA against UAV operators, the majority of them in the east and southeast regions of the U.S.

Jonathan Rupprecht writes on the firm's blog that the FAA appears to have targeted two companies, and actions have been taken against two certificated pilots for their UAV activities.

Rupprecht also found that penalties imposed by the FAA have been significantly reduced when the person being prosecuted retained an attorney.

Not every case was made available via the FOIA request, the lawyer said.

But Rupprecht also said that the data seems to suggest that the FAA is doing something, and the lack of FAA action has been the catalyst for many state and local governments to enact their own drone laws. He says educating local elected officials about what the FAA is doing might be a way to stave off some of those more stringent local ordinances.

(Image from file)

FMI: Full Report