A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Thursday to protect state and local government authority to regulate drones, an effort to ensure that the Federal Aviation Administration could not overrule local authorities if they create their own ordinances regarding the unmanned aerial vehicles.
“As drone use has exploded across America, neighbors, communities and local governments are all still trying to figure out the best way to balance the property rights of drone users, land owners, and public safety,” said Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. “These disputes need to be decided at the local level, not with top-down proclamations from Washington. This bill allows for those solutions to be discovered while still protecting interstate air travel.”
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said the legislation would ensure that communities could establish rules such as “low-altitude speed limits, local no-drone zones or (other) rules that are appropriate to their own circumstances.” Other co-sponsors of the bill include Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark.
The legislation, called the Drone Federalism Act, would affirm the FAA’s general authority over the national airspace but also direct the agency to establish a process for collaborating with local authorities to find the best solutions. The bill does not affect manned aircraft.
The use of drone aircraft, also called unmanned aerial vehicles and “unmanned aircraft systems” — has soared in recent years as technology for them has advanced. Drones are now used for everything from aerial photography to package delivery to crop dusting. The FAA has predicted 4 million drones will be in use by 2020.
In response to this growth, the agency issued new regulations last year requiring drone operators to get certification by the agency. To date, the agency has registered more than 750,000 operators,
The FAA has adopted a broad definition of drone as well as an expansive interpertation of its authority. Last week, a federal appeals court struck down the FAA’s assertion that recreational drone users — people flying drones or motorized model planes – had to register as well.
