U.S. Senate bill could pave the way for commercial drones

Legislation passed by the U.S. Senate could pave the way for the commercial deployment of drones in the national airspace. It also addresses safety issues by, for example, providing for a pilot program that would find ways to lock down errant drones if they are close to airports.

The new rules in the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2016, passed Tuesday by a vote of 95-3, reflect the opportunities seen for the use of drones both for commercial and other applications such as in emergencies. They also highlight privacy and safety concerns about the reckless use of consumer drones by hobbyists.

Referring to an object, believed to be a drone, hitting a British Airways plane landing in Heathrow airport on Sunday, Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat from Florida, said that if a drone is sucked into a jet engine, it could certainly render the engine inoperable and might start an explosion. The current bill proposes a pilot program to develop and test technologies to intercept or shut down drones when they are near airports.

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