The Federal Aviation Administration wants to implement new rules that would enable the remote identification and tracking of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones. Under its proposal available for viewing on Federal Register’s website UAVs will be required to broadcast their location and identification info directly from the unmanned aircraft and to transmit the same information to the FAA’s location tracking system via internet connection.
UAVs only flying within 400 feet of their operators don’t have to broadcast that information but will still have to transmit it to the system via the internet. To note, operators can choose between their drone’s serial number or a randomly generated alphanumeric code to use as their machines’ ID, if they want to protect their privacy. All UAVs that require FAA registration recreational drones under 0.55 pounds aren’t included will have to comply with the new regulations within the next three years after they go into effect.
Rules proposed by the Federal Aviation Administration would link drone registration to uniform tracking requirements, aiming to create a seamless network able to verify the identity of drone operators and digitally follow their vehicles from takeoff to landing.
The network would help to prevent midair collisions in the short term, and would eventually feed data into traditional air-traffic control facilities and automated traffic-control systems, according to the FAA.
The rules would cover virtually all commercial and hobby drones except the smallest models, weighing under half a pound and flown only for recreational uses, which already are exempt from the FAA’s existing limited requirements for drones.
The FAA will open a 60-day comment period for its proposal in the next few days and will use your feedback to write the final version of the new rules.
