Faces Pressure From Businesses, Explosion Of Personal Use Aircraft

Lobbyists for the UAV industry have descended on the halls of Congress, with advocates of expanding personal and business uses of the aircraft calling for fewer restrictions and clarity on rules, and those opposed for safety and privacy reasons telling legislators to clamp down on the nascent industry.

The New York Times reports that the factions include pure hobbyists that want some of the restrictions imposed by the FAA eased, airline pilots who would like to see more restrictions and safety technology required for the aircraft, privacy advocates concerned about their personal space, and companies like Walmart and Amazon, who would like to send autonomous aircraft out to deliver packages in parking lots or to your front door.

One thing that they all seem to agree on, though, is that the FAA needs clearer rules from Congress about how the agency should approach the issue.

The competing interests are scrambling for meetings with key lawmakers on relevant committees in an effort to have their concerns address in the FAA reauthorization bill being crafted by the Congress.

At least one prominent lawmaker with an assignment on a relevant committee has taken notice, according to the article. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, sent a letter recently to the FAA, DHS, NASA, and the Pentagon calling on those agencies to coordinate UAV safety and security.

FMI: NYT Blog