There’s been no shortage of debate over the regulation of drones, frequently spurred by small, privately operated unmanned aerial systems ending up where they aren’t supposed to be – say, the White House lawn. While it seems the American public is at least somewhat divided on the topic, at least one Capitol Hill lawmaker is speaking out against U.S. regulatory agencies’ hesitation to enact policy – even as agency leaders announce new initiatives in UAS research.
While progress may be inching forward, a slowness to enact policy so far is putting a strain on the U.S.’s cutting edge, according to Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.).
“I’ve become very frustrated when I hear the stories, especially about U.S. companies taking U.S. jobs and U.S. research and development to another country because we can’t get the approvals to do the work here,” LoBiondo, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said at the AUVSI conference in Atlanta on May 6. “There’s one word to describe that: that’s insanity.”
LoBiondo’s tempered some of the criticism in noting that he’s “pleasantly surprised” that some proposed regulation for small UAS would not require operators to have a pilot license, but he also said the Federal Aviation Administration’s “Section 333” exemption process is “too convoluted” in giving ad hoc drone-flying permissions to approved entities.
“It has been pretty frustrating to see the delays and all that is going into trying to get even the most basic applications approved for testing,” he said. “Now that has moved somewhat as well, but it’s nowhere near where it should be.”
But the FAA says it’s making strides – namely with the agency’s top official announcing within hours of LoBiondo’s comments that the agency is partnering with industry to explore the next steps in UAS operations.
The Pathfinder Program centers on cooperative research agreements with CNN,
Under the agreement, CNN will examine the use of drones within line of sight, including over crowds, for news-gathering purposes. PrecisionHawk is set to study extended line-of-sight operations, including in rural areas for agricultural purposes, and BNSF will explore beyond-line-of-sight capabilities for inspecting railroad infrastructure.
“Integrating unmanned aircraft into our airspace is a big job, and it’s one the FAA is determined to get right. Earlier this year, we took an important step forward by releasing a proposed rule that laid out a flexible framework for allowing the routine use of small unmanned aircrafts,” Huerta said. “This, however, takes time – so we’re actively looking for other ways to expand the use of unmanned aircraft in the meantime. … The Pathfinder program is our latest step in the right direction, and I’m eager to see the results.”
