The Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) has proposed regulation that would assist government agencies and law enforcement agencies in the tracking of unmanned drones, requiring all drones above a certain weight to possess an ID system to allow remote identification.
The proposed regulation is the result of a push by Congress that began in 2016 for the FAA to regulate the growing field of unmanned drones, especially as companies such as Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and the United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) seek to establish drone fleets for unmanned deliveries. The rule would require drone manufacturers and operators to implement an identification system that would allow law enforcement and federal agencies to identify and track individual drones remotely. Such efforts would finally allow private companies with ambitions of drone fleets the freedom to invest in their drone operations, as the rule would address the fears held by law enforcement agencies that untracked drones could be used for illicit activities. Fear of untracked drones being used for smuggling or terrorism has caused many law enforcement agencies to block efforts by companies to form drone fleets.
"Remote ID technologies will enhance safety and security by allowing the FAA, law enforcement, and federal security agencies to identify drones flying in their jurisdiction," said Transportation Secretary Elaine Cho, addressing the system.
The ID system is similar in concept but different in execution to the transponders used by commercial airliners and personal airplanes to allow for remote identification of individual aircraft. Where a transponder system uses radar and specific transponder codes, Drone ID beacons would transmit the drone's identity over the internet, with services being provided by FAA-approved service providers. The IDs would be accessible in an online database that would allow users to track any in-flight drones in Realtime.
Many drone advocacy groups are hailing the FAA's regulation as a pivotal step in the furthering of commercial drone use. "The importance of remote ID regulations cannot be overstated, as they are necessary to enable advanced and expanded operations such as flights over people and beyond line of sight," said Brian Wynne, head of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. The Commercial Drone Alliance stated that it was thrilled by the FAA's decision as it would open the door for future expansion of the growing drone industry.
The FAA's proposal would give manufacturers and operators three years to implement ID systems. The proposal, however, is undergoing a 60-day public comment period, after which the agency will adjust the regulations according to public comments before enacting regulation. As such, the rule might not take effect until 2023 at minimum.