New Drone Regulations Open Up the Skies For Business

The Federal Aviation Administration released new rules today outlining how businesses may use unmanned aerial vehicles, more commonly known as drones.

Until now, commercial use of drones was only permitted by the FAA if the business received a waiver. The FAA had given out thousands of these waivers, with thousands more still pending, but it's likely many businesses have been using drones under the radar.

According to the new rules, which will go into effect in August, operators can be as young as 16 and will be allowed to fly drones that weigh less than 55 pounds.

Prior to this change, anyone operating a commercial drone had to have a pilot's license for manned aircrafts. Now, the FAA will issue an exam for those looking to become certified as commercial drone operators. The administration will also require operators to register their drones online.

Flight is permitted during the day, and if the drone is equipped with anti-collision lights, it can be flown during twilight. Special waivers will be required for overnight flight.

“With this new rule, we are taking a careful and deliberate approach that balances the need to deploy this new technology with the FAA’s mission to protect public safety,” Michael Huerta, FAA administrator, said in a press release. “But this is just our first step. We’re already working on additional rules that will expand the range of operations.”

The release also cited industry estimates that the rules could add $82 billion and 100,000 jobs to the economy over 10 years.

An industry advocacy group, the Drone Manufacturers Alliance, praised the new rules in a statement.

"We are extremely pleased the rule establishes a risk-based, federal approach for operating drones nationwide, and thank the FAA for engaging industry throughout the process," it said. "We believe the rule will enhance safety and compliance, and allow a spectrum of industries to utilize drones to save lives, time and expense."

The new rules do not cover drone hobbyists, and they do not address concerns that drones could be used to violate privacy.

Many of the restrictions that apply to hobbyists will also apply to commercial operators. Drones may not be flown over members of the public or out of the sightline of the operator. These two restrictions limit some of the most ambitious commercial uses, like Amazon's much-discussed plan to deliver packages via drones, though the FAA will issue waivers to these rules in special circumstances.

The Drone Manufacturers Alliance's statement indicated hope that these restrictions will eventually be eased or lifted.

“We look forward to working with the FAA as this rule is implemented, and on next steps for recognizing a set of rules for a micro category of UAS, and for beyond the line of sight and nighttime operations,” the group said in the statement.

While the most viable uses of commercial drones have yet to be determined, so far they're being put to work in fields such as photography, agriculture monitoring, real estate, data-gathering on wildlife, news reporting and security.

Photo Credit: Andrew Turner via Flickr