Without Deadline, FAA Working 'Fast' on Remote ID Drone Rule
The FAA is working “as fast as” it can to introduce a proposed rulemaking on remotely identifying unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), though there's no set deadline, Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office Director Earl Lawrence testified Tuesday. FAA’s UAS Identification and Tracking Aviation Rulemaking Committee submitted a final report in September with recommendations for setting an agency standard for identifying and tracking drones. Remote tracking of drones will have significant implications for commercial use, law enforcement and emergency response.
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During a hearing before the Senate Aviation Operations, Safety and Security Subcommittee, Jon Tester, D-Mont., pressed Lawrence for a timeline, saying otherwise, the rule process could “go on forever.” Lawrence said remote tracking will let the agency determine whether drone operators are “clueless or criminal” when law enforcement responds to residential and commercial concerns. Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International CEO Brian Wynne said industry understands the need for drone “license plates.”
Lawrence said the agency is looking forward to Wednesday, when the Department of Transportation is expected to announce participants in the Innovation Pilot Program (IPP) to help DOT and the FAA update aviation regulations to ensure drone integration. DOT will partner with state, local and tribal governments to establish “innovation zones for testing complex UAS operations and to attempt different models for integrating drones into local airspace.”
Lawrence said a key challenge for integrating U.S. drones is the threat of malicious activity. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., asked if other agencies will be involved in protecting against bad actors. Lawrence said the IPP will help the FAA better coordinate with local law enforcement and first responders to understand what systems are needed. Helicopter Association International CEO Matthew Zuccaro supported a federal standard for drone regulation. Otherwise, no one knows what they're getting into, creating a disconnected operating environment and reducing safety, he said. The U.S. has the safest airspace because it’s governed by one regulatory framework, he said. As of mid-April, the FAA had processed more than 1 million UAS registrations -- over 170,000 for commercial unmanned aircraft.
Wynne said House passage of the six-year FAA Reauthorization Act (HR-4) (see 1804270024) was a positive step in furthering U.S. regulatory framework for drones and urged Senate passage. The bill would foster industry-government collaboration and the expansion of commercial operations, he said.
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, asked how government can create more incentives for R&D on disaster relief, when commercial interests seem to be driving the conversation: “How do we put some money behind research and application of this in a disaster context? It’s not at all clear to me that Amazon or anyone else is going to have the incentive to do the things that are clearly government’s job.”
Lawrence said the FAA has seven test sites, where there has been “tremendous work,” some of it focused on emergency response: A Texas test site was instrumental in learning about hurricanes and helping relieve the recent disasters. Later, he said the agency is “really focused” on using the test sites to support industry needs: "More and more, they’re taking on these additional uses for UASs that are beyond the basic regulatory needs of the FAA but very much needed for the full innovation and the full site use of UASs."