The UAS industry has long awaited a rule that will broadly authorize commercial UAS operations in the United States. We are now at an extremely important step in the rulemaking process. In a major new development, described in more detail here, the FAA has sent the Small UAS NPRM to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at the White House for one final interagency review. This means that a final small UAS rule is coming soon. This also means that now is the last opportunity to influence the rule before it is released.
As part of its review process, any member of the public—including UAS manufacturers, operators, users, and software developers—can request a meeting with the White House to discuss the proposed rule, what it should contain, and how the rule will impact them. So any company wishing to provide input on issues such as certification of pilots and visual observers, registration of UAS, approval of operations, federal preemption of UAS policy issues, or operational limits for UAS may do so now.
Policymakers need to hear from innovators about the latest technologies and capabilities, and where the industry is going — so that they can account for innovation in its policymaking.
As a commercial drone industry, we must make our voices heard and get involved with the rulemaking process now. The success of our industry depends on it.
