Verizon bought drone operations management company Skyward for an undisclosed sum, said the telco in a Thursday news release. "This acquisition is a natural progression of our core focus on operating in innovative, high-growth markets, leveraging our network, scale, fleet management, device management, data analytics and security enablement capabilities and services to simplify the drone industry and help support the adoption of IoT," said Mike Lanman, Verizon senior vice president-enterprise products and IoT. It said Skyward's technology will provide one platform to handle "mission planning, complex workflow, [Federal Aviation Administration] compliance support, supplying information about restricted airspace and pilot credentialing, drone registration and provisioning rate plans for drones on Verizon's network."

The Federal Aviation Administration's Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) approved two task group statements, one on roles and responsibilities of federal state and local governments in regulating and enforcing drone laws, and a second on the technological and regulatory means to allow drone operators access to airspace beyond what's now permitted, said the agency in a Wednesday news release. The FAA said DAC provided feedback on a third task group statement over funding to offset costs to support drone integration into the national airspace, but it hasn't been finalized. The 35-member committee, which includes academic, government, private sector and others, met for a second time Jan. 31 in Reno to discuss the issues. Headed by Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, the group, which was formed to advise the FAA on drone integration into the airspace, will meet May 3 in Washington. Its inaugural meeting was in September (see 1609160003)

Elaine Chao, was confirmed as transportation secretary 93-6 by the Senate Tuesday. Six Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., voted against her confirmation; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who is Chao's husband, didn't vote. She held several cabinet positions in prior Republican administrations and was well regarded during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee (see 1701110031). Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., praised her confirmation. In a statement, he said Chao "has the experience, ability, and now the bipartisan backing of the Senate to address our nation’s transportation and infrastructure challenges." Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said Chao is "well-positioned to address" rural America's infrastructure such as improving internet access. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems looks forward "to foster a favorable policy environment" for drones as they get integrated into the national airspace, CEO Brian Wynne said. "Sustained industry-government collaboration is key to advancing the innovation needed to create jobs and keep the U.S. at the forefront of this growing and exciting field." Intelligent Transportation Society of America wants to help Chao "accelerate the widespread deployment of intelligent, transformational transportation systems" that's being driven by artificial intelligence, automation, cloud computing and robotics, said President Regina Hopper.

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International launched the Remote Pilots Council to discuss commercial drone issues within the industry and with the Federal Aviation Administration. “The RPC’s immediate goals are to bring AUVSI members together to provide feedback on real-world [unmanned aircraft systems] operations, including clarifying and offering suggestions for greater efficiency in the FAA waiver process,” said AUVSI President Brian Wynne in a Monday news release. “The RPC will identify and discuss operational challenges and potential solutions in UAS regulation as the FAA moves towards the full integration of UAS into the [national air space].” In August, the FAA issued a rule that allows drones less than 55 pounds to fly in sparsely populated areas up to 400 feet high and up to 100 miles per hour during daylight hours, and requires operators to obtain certification by passing a written test (see 1608290049). The council first met nearly two weeks ago and scheduled other public meetings over the next month, including Feb. 8 in Washington.

The Federal Aviation Administration and SkyPan International agreed to settle allegations the drone-photography company operated unmanned aircraft systems in congested airspace over New York and Chicago between 2012 and 2014, said the FAA in a Tuesday news release. SkyPan will pay a $200,000 civil penalty and another $150,000 if it violates regulations over the next year and $150,000 more if it doesn't comply with the agreement. The agency said the agreement settles enforcement cases in which the agency sought a $1.9 million civil penalty, the largest proposed against a drone company. SkyPan conducted 65 unauthorized operations that were "illegal and not without risk," said the agency last year. "While neither admitting nor contesting the allegations that these commercial operations were contrary to FAA regulations, SkyPan wishes to resolve this matter without any further expense or delay of business," the company said in a statement. The company, which served the construction and real estate sectors for 28 years, said it "has never had an accident" nor "compromised citizens' privacy or security."

The Electronic Privacy Information Center emphasized the importance of privacy issues for drones and autonomous and connected vehicles, in a letter to Senate Commerce Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., and ranking member Bill Nelson, D-Fla. EPIC asked that the letter be made part of the record of Transportation Secretary-designate Elaine Chao's confirmation hearing that was held Wednesday (see 1701110031). In August, EPIC sued the Federal Aviation Administration for what the group said was the agency's failure to live up to the 2012 FAA Act (see 1608260020). "Drones pose a unique threat to the privacy of Americans," said the Thursday letter, signed by EPIC President Marc Rotenberg, Policy Director Caitriona Fitzgerald and Policy Fellow Kimberly Miller. They said more than 100 experts and organizations petitioned the FAA to produce a privacy rule. EPIC also said it urged the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to address privacy and security risks to connected vehicles stemming from current policy approaches that are based on industry self-regulation.

The second meeting of the Federal Aviation Administration Drone Advisory Committee is Jan. 31 to continue to help the FAA integrate unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into the national airspace. The agency said in a Wednesday news release the committee will review and possibly approve three task groups. The first group will review the roles of federal, state and local governments in enforcing drone laws. The second group will review technological and regulatory approaches to permit drone operators to access the airspace beyond what's allowed under the small UAS rule. The third will consider ways to fund services needed to support integration efforts. At its first meeting in mid-September the 35-member committee, chaired by Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, said it would take a deeper dive into privacy issues (see 1609160003).

Verizon is using drones to provide network coverage and inspect cell towers and venues, it said in a Monday blog post. One remotely controlled drone "successfully" acted as a small cell site to deliver 4G LTE network coverage at Cape May Airport in New Jersey during an emergency management and disaster recovery exercise, the company said. Verizon said the 165-pound, 17-foot wingspan drone, which is owned and operated by American Aerospace Technologies, provided live imagery from 3,000 feet and below, though federal regulators approved flight up to 7,500 feet. The drone can fly 12 to 16 hours at a time, the post added. Another small drone was used to inspect cell sites in North and South Carolina after Hurricane Matthew about three weeks ago (see 1610110038). The company said a drone -- carrying two smartphones -- was used to measure network coverage at an Austin racetrack in advance of a major event. That inspection cut down testing by about 50 percent, compared with walking through the venue, Verizon said.

Washington state suffered no telecom outages in a storm that blew into the Pacific Northwest over the weekend, a Utilities and Transportation Commission spokesman said Monday. Meteorologists had predicted dangerously strong winds, but the storm wasn’t as bad as expected. Multiple surveyed carriers reported no problems from the weather in the area. “The storm turned out to be much weaker than expected,” said a Sprint spokesman. Carriers faced a bigger challenge from Hurricane Matthew, which struck the Southeast coast the previous weekend (see 1610130033 and 1610110038). Verizon used unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to inspect flooded cellsites in the Carolinas, the company said in a news release Friday. Verizon deployed Measure UAS quadcopters that can record and live-stream HD video and high-resolution photographs, it said. “The first flight to a site surrounded by water near Elm City, N.C. and the Tar River Reservoir showed engineers that the base station equipment -- which was elevated on stilts -- was not underwater and had not suffered visible damage,” Verizon said. “After determining the site was safe to access, Verizon’s Network team secured an air boat and refueled the generator, bringing the site back into service within hours.”

Privacy issues for drones and how to address them will be the focus of the FTC's Oct. 13 event on unmanned aerial systems, said the commission, releasing a detailed agenda Tuesday. Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen will open the half-day event, which will feature academics, privacy advocates from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Electronic Privacy Information Center and industry representatives from AirMap, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, DJI, Drone Manufacturers Alliance, Precision Hawk and the Small UAV Coalition. The 1-4:30 p.m. event will be at FTC's Constitution Center at 400 7th St. SW.