The use of commercial drones for delivery and services was introduced this week in the U.S. with new requirements. Most devices transmit radio beacons with digital license plates to help ensure safety and prevent abuse.
All but small drones will have to transmit radio signals for a new identification of them and their location Rules of the Federal Aviation Administration, according to a summary of the action reviewed by Bloomberg News.
The new rules, which take effect 30 months after the rule was finalized, are an essential foundation before drone delivery and other commercialization can take place. They mark the most significant regulatory expansion in drone capabilities since devices launched in civilian markets nearly a decade ago.
The rules would be an “essential building block toward allowing drone operations to be more complex,” the agency said in a summary.
The move comes as U.S. In aviation has broken the regulatory period of record growth in aircraft technology. The need for ID transmission shows the concern of federal law enforcement and homeland security agencies that increasingly capable flying machines will be used for crime and terrorism.
A few years ago the WAA planned to extend drone flights over crowds in some cases and allowed them regularly at night, but would not allow other agencies to move forward with the rules unless they address growing concerns about device misuse. . Separate rules for working on crowds are also expected soon.
The FAAA has not commented on its plans for new regulation. The White House’s management fee management and budget, accordingly, concluded a review of the regulation on Wednesday. Website.
Drones powered by companies like will be years before weapons Amazon.com Inc. Prime Air, Alphabet Inc. Sh Fashut Wing and United Parcel Service Inc. Ringing to neighbors dropping packages. But the new rules provide an important platform for businesses to move toward those goals.
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A strong drone tracking system is needed to ensure that the public accepts these new businesses, UPS Flight Forward said in a comment on the proposal earlier this year. “If illegal and unsafe operators are identified and prevented, trust in the system will be eroded and voluntary compliance will be reduced,” the company wrote.
The new regulation will require drones weighing more than 0.55 pounds (0.25 kg) to transmit their identities over low-power radio frequencies such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. That way, police or other officers can monitor the drone nearby.
U.S. Civilian drones offered for sale in, according to the summary, should be equipped with such technology starting 18 months after the rules are set. Rators are not allowed to take off without a working ID beacon.
The rules also allow re-providing existing drones with such a system.
This rule does not require that devices broadcast on a signal that can be transmitted to the national tracking network via mobile phone systems, a step that was originally included in the proposal. Unveiled last year.
Wing, Amazon and others seeking to create a delivery business urged the FAA to allow such an Internet-based national network to track devices.
Hobbyists flying F.A.A. As long as they are flown in restricted areas recognized by, they may be allowed to operate without an ID beacon. Such as the Flying Club The Academy of Model Aeronautics and Educational Institutions may apply for such a waiver.
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The FAA complies with requests from entertainment users and industry groups, adding privacy restrictions that would make it impossible for people to identify the drone’s operator using an ID beacon.
The FAA will keep that information confidential, if the summary states that it provides law enforcement and national security agencies if asked. It is a departure from traditional aviation where FAA flight-tracking data is generally public.
The new rules are an attempt to take into account the explosion of drone use. The FAAA registered nearly 1 million recreational drone users and had 1.3 million devices as of last year. An additional 385,000 commercial drones were registered with the agency, according to its data.
At the same time, there has been an increase Reports of dangerously flying devices near conventional planes and helicopters – also Air Force One – and those cases are used for drug smuggling or Terrorist attacks in other countries. This The National Transportation Safety Board has Concluded drone drone U.S. Many mediators were involved in the conflict.
Since the rules were considered helpful to the industry, there was widespread support for the rough idea. However, the F.A.A. The proposal for ID Beacons, issued a year ago, garnered more than 53,000 constituent public comments as it looked at various elements of how it should be implemented.
Traditional hobbyists, who have flown model aircraft for decades, some of whom do not have electronics to support radio beacons, said thousands were concerned that the rules would be too restrictive.
Recent recreational users of small helicopter dresses said they were concerned about rebuilding their aircraft or adding expensive new needs. Many also raised privacy concerns about how tracking information could be used.
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