Senator Feinstein Wants to Regulate Non-Commercial Drone Use
Senator Diane Feinstein wants to close what she describes as a “loophole” in current efforts to regulate commercial drone use. The loophole is the entire distinction between commercial and non-commercial use. In particular to protect public infrastructure like airports, power plants, and bridges, Senator Feinstein last week proposed legislation that would expand the FAA’s pending regulation of commercial drones to include non-commercial use.
The Senator’s proposed bill would require the FAA to develop rules for both recreational drone flight and the manufacture of the devices. In its flight regulations, the agency would have to set a limit on maximum altitude, restrictions on where the devices can be flown and prohibitions related to weather and time of day. For the manufacturing rules, the FAA would have to bar manufacturers from making drones that can fly beyond a certain altitude, require the installation of sensors or software to avoid collisions and mandate systems to prevent drones from being flown close to airports and other protected airspace, among many other stipulations.