Senator Booker Set to Introduce Temporary Commercial Drone Usage Legislation

Legislation would create a temporary set of conditions for UAVs for business until the FAA issues its final rules

Forbes

According to Forbes, U.S. Senator Cory Booker will introduce legislation to establish temporary rules to govern the commercial use of drones while the industry waits for the FAA to define rules regarding commercial drones — which could take up to two years. Booker could introduce his legislation as early as next Tuesday, but no timeline has been set.

Booker's bill would allow piloting of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for purposes such as surveying of construction sites. The bill, known as the "Commercial UAV Modernization Act", would create a temporary set of conditions that would be placed on UAVs used for business until the FAA issues its final rules. The bill would allow operators who have passed a knowledge test to commercially operate drones below the 500-foot limit, within the FAA's "visual flight rules" and only during daylight, unless otherwise exempted.

FAA Proposes New Commercial Drone Usage Rules

Booker's bill supposedly already has support from members of both parties within the 20-person Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security.

The FAA will also introduce new rules before a congressional subcommittee hearing next week which may help streamline the process by which companies can obtain drone exemption permits.

(more on Sen. Booker's commercial drone legislation proposal...)

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