The Federal Aviation Administration has approved 1,000 applications for commercial unmanned aircraft operations.
The applications by companies and individuals were granted this week under Section 333, a section of federal law that allows the Transportation Department authority to allow certain drones to operate outside of restricted national airspace and below 200 feet.
The exemptions were part of a “continuing effort to safely expand and support commercial unmanned aircraft operations in U.S. airspace,” the FAA said in a statement.
“Companies and individuals from a broad spectrum of industries are taking advantage of the Section 333 exemption process,” the agency said.
“Many of the grants the FAA has issued allow aerial filming for uses such as motion picture production, precision agriculture and real estate photography,” the statement added. “The agency also has issued grants for new and novel approaches to inspecting power distribution towers and wiring, railroad infrastructure and bridges.”
The use of drones remains controversial nationwide, especially for companies like Amazon, which are attempting to use the technology for deliveries.
