Congress Holds Hearing on Drone Safety After FAA Misses Deadline on Drone Regs
The House Subcommittee on Aviation held a hearing on drone safety after the FAA's failure to meet a Congressional deadline to implement comprehensive drone regulations. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 required the agency to develop a "Comprehensive Plan" to integrate drones into the national airspace by September 30, 2015. The agency missed the deadline. However, the FAA has granted over a 1,700 exemptions for drones to operate in the US even as safety and privacy concerns increase. Chairman LaBiondo (R-NJ) said at the hearing, "The real possibility of a mid-air collision must be taken seriously in order to prevent tragic consequences." EPIC recently sued the agency, EPIC v. FAA, to establish privacy rules for commercial drones.