Court Strikes Down FAA Registration Requirement for Hobbyist Drones
A federal appeals court has struck down the FAA's rule requiring hobbyists to register their drones. The D.C. Circuit ruled that a registration requirement violated the FAA Modernization Act which forbade regulations for "model aircraft," including unmanned drones "flown for hobby or recreational purposes." EPIC is currently challenging the FAA's failure to establish privacy rules for "small, commercial" drones. Congress required a "comprehensive plan" for drone deployment in the United States, and more than 100 experts and organizations petitioned the agency for privacy safeguards. EPIC v. FAA is full briefed and arguments before the D.C. Circuit are anticipated this fall.