The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is poised to announce soon—possibly as early as this week—action toward a new rule that would eventually clear the way for drones flying over people and beyond the line-of-sight of their operators.
The forthcoming FAA proposal would require adoption of what is known as “remote ID” technology for drones and is seen by attorneys who follow drone law as a critical first step toward permitting a wider range of business uses for unmanned aircraft. The idea that authorities should be able to identify who is piloting every drone moving through the airspace is not without controversy. Depending on its approach, the FAA could find itself involved in litigation over the scope of its authority over drones—or become embroiled in a wider debate about drone operators’ privacy rights.
Some attorneys speculate the FAA could make an announcement about its remote ID proposal at the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Symposium kicking off on Tuesday in Baltimore. The event runs through Thursday and features a number of FAA officials, including Earl Lawrence, director of the agency’s UAS integration office. If the FAA keep mum this week, it will have another opportunity to make a splash at another major industry conference scheduled in April.
Sara Baxenberg of Wiley Rein said she anticipates the FAA is going to move forward with its formal rule-making process for remote ID in “relatively short order” and that the agency might use the Baltimore symposium to at least shed some light on the approach it wants to take.
An FAA spokesman said he could not comment on whether the agency planned to make any new rule announcements soon.
Source: The Recorder