FAA's Gilligan Among The Witnesses Invited To Appear

U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) (pictured), chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security, will convene a hearing entitled, “Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Key Considerations Regarding Safety, Innovation, Economic Impact, and Privacy.”

The hearing will examine broadly the potential beneficial uses for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and the efforts of the FAA on safe integration of UAS in the National Airspace System. It will also explore potential privacy concerns associated with this emerging technology.
  
FAA officials will provide an update on the agency’s efforts to safely integrate UAS, and the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration will discuss its new process for formulating industry best practices to address privacy concerns associated with commercial UAS.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office will offer its perspective on implementation issues and test site development. Other witnesses will share industry views on current federal actions, expected uses of the new technology, and the capacity for innovation that could provide positive economic impacts associated with expanded use of UAS. 
 
Witnesses:

• Ms. Margaret Gilligan, Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, Federal Aviation Administration
• Mr. John B. Morris, Jr., Associate Administrator, Office of Policy Analysis and Development, National Telecommunications and Information Administration
• Dr. Gerald Dillingham, Director of Civil Aviation Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office
• Prof. John Villasenor, Nonresident Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
• Mr. Paul Misener, Vice President of Global Public Policy, Amazon, Inc.
• Mr. Jeff VanderWerff, VWO, LLC., representing the American Farm Bureau Federation

The hearing will be held Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at 2:30 p.m.

FMI: www.commerce.senate.gov