AT&T and Verizon on Tuesday each agreed to temporarily delay their 5G rollouts near certain airports amid concerns over possible flight disruptions. The move follows mounting outside pressure and comes amid warnings from U.S. airlines that new 5G wireless service that was set to start Wednesday could ground flights and leave potentially thousands of Americans stranded while also delaying goods.
The Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday it is in direct talks with the telecom industry about its aviation safety concerns involving the planned use of spectrum for 5G wireless communications.
The FAA on Monday said its long-awaited rules for the drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, will address security concerns by requiring remote identification technology in most cases to enable their identification from the ground. Previously, small drone operations over people were limited to operations over people who were directly participating in the operation, located under a covered structure, or inside a stationary vehicle — unless operators had obtained a waiver from the FAA.
Collins | Remote ID Rules For Drones Up In The Air
A good working relationship between the media and the FAA should serve both parties well as specifications are developed. There’s no question that both groups are committed to and concerned for aviation safety. “Given the news media’s support of the overall adoption of a remote ID regime, it is highly likely that the parties will be able to come to accommodations in the final rules,” says attorney M. Anne Swanson.
Exclusives
The country’s top transportation regulator on Thursday proposed tracking nearly every drone in U.S. airspace, a rule that would pave the way for companies like Google and Amazon to deploy commercial drones across the U.S. The rule, the culmination of years of work by the Federal Aviation Administration, will create a system that allows law enforcement and the government to track drones throughout the sky, distinguishing between licensed aircraft vehicles and those that are suspicious or potentially threatening.
Alphabet Inc’s Wing Aviation unit on Tuesday got the OK to start delivering goods by drone in Virginia later this year, making the sister unit of search engine Google the first company to get U.S. air carrier certification, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The Federal Aviation Administration has been busy these last few weeks, promulgating a bunch of different rules that have some consequences — short-term and long-term — for drone journalists.
The FAA has issued a new set of rules requiring all unmanned aircraft systems (or drones) to display official registration numbers on the outside of the aircraft. Previously, registered drone’s unique identifier could be stored inside the device in an easily accessible area such as in the battery compartment so long as it was “readable and legible upon close visual inspection.”
It’s been more than a year now since the Federal Aviation Administration issued its final rule — Part 107 — permitting journalists and others to fly small drones for commercial purposes. No longer must news outlets apply for section 333 exemptions or have an airplane or helicopter pilot on scene. A set of best practices is evolving, beyond adherence to the regulatory requirements.
The Skies Are Clearing For News Drones
Looser rules plus technology improvements should spur broader adoption of the newsgathering tool.
The millions of small civilian drones plying the nation’s skies can cause significant damage to airliners and business jets in a midair collision, new research commissioned by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration concluded.
FAA Rule Changes Coming For Drones
The FAA is working to revise rules for commercial drones to allow easier access to controlled airspace, such as around airports, through a new process known as the LAANC system. Eric T. Ringer, senior product manager and co-founder of Skyward, discusses the changes and how they will affect broadcast TV drones in the future.
CNN said today it has received Federal Aviation Administration approval to fly drones while covering news events involving large crowds. The Time Warner-owned news organization said it will have the ability for the first time to fly an unmanned aircraft system, or UAS, over crowds of people at an altitude of up to 150 feet.
The FAA announced the no-fly drone zones at 10 Department of the Interior sites on Thursday. They take effect Oct. 5.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit last week determined that the FAA’s registration rule cannot apply to small unmanned aircraft (aka, sUAVs, or drones) operated for recreational purposes.
Drones For Tower Inspection? Check FAA
For tower owners and inspectors, there is a growing appeal for using drones to perform inspections — and perhaps someday, when the technology is ripe, to actually make repairs. Given the risks involved in climbing towers, the ability to substitute a machine for a human makes sense. But be aware that the current FAA rules will restrict tower inspections by drones in certain situations.
Tower Marking Provision Could Use Tweaks
FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly: “Having worked on numerous legislative efforts over the years, I have seen that it is not uncommon for very well-intentioned provisions contained within larger bills passed by Congress and enacted into law to lead to unintended negative consequences. One such provision recently enacted in an FAA Authorization statute is causing a considerable level of unrest within affected communications industries.”
The National Press Photographers Association, the Poynter Institute, Google News Lab, Drone Journalism Lab,and DJI have unveiled an innovative program to train journalists in using drones, or unmanned aerial systems, for their news coverage. The program, which features hands-on workshops and online teaching, is powered by the Google News Lab.
In response to the FAA drone guidelines formally taking effect this past August, the Drone Journalism Lab decided to release its operations manual as an open source, Creative Commons-licensed document. The 23-page guidebook (found at dronejournalismlab.org) covers everything from how to conduct a preflight briefing to the ethical issues journalists should consider before flying a drone.
Drones An Important Tool In Telling News Stories
What To Consider Before Launching A Drone
Broadcasters and other organizations with newsgathering operations are increasingly taking advantage of the FAA’s new “Part 107” rules, which took effect on Aug. 29. The small drones authorized offer broadcasters a cost-effective way to gather aerial footage, especially as compared to the cost of using helicopters. But broadcasters and other potential UAS operators should keep in mind that some requirements must be met before UAS operations can commence.
Drones are about as constant on modern terrain as driverless cars. Their use remains embryonic, but they are expected to take on even more demanding roles at some news outlets in months to come. At CNN, there is serious chatter about letting drone-captured video live-stream for the Time Warner’s outlet’s digital properties, or capturing hard-to-get footage for Great Big Story, the company’s site focused on millennial news aficionados.
The exam for FAA Part 107 certification to fly a commercial drone under 55 pounds, which first became available Aug. 29, covers far more than the drone itself. A mastery of knowledge on aeronautical concepts, charts, airspace and meteorology from an aviation perspective are among the areas emphasized on the initial test. Is it overkill for a media organization that will fly a done no higher than 400 feet? Not really, when seen in the context of maintaining safety, says the FAA.
The FAA’s new commercial drone rules look pretty daunting. CNET walks you through the process.
The FAA’s new rules governing the operation of small commercial drones that went into effect today were designed to protect safety without stifling innovation, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told a news conference. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said people are “captivated by the limitless possibilities unmanned aircraft offer.”
The greatly anticipated commercial drone regulations are effective next Monday, Aug.29. A new category of airman, “remote pilot,” can fly drones weighing less than 55 pounds. No longer do commercial operators need to recruit airplane or helicopter pilots to fly drones. Reporters, photogs, and producers can become remote pilots after some aviation knowledge study and completion of a written test at an approved testing site.
Coming Soon: New Rules For Shorter Towers
If you own a tower that’s between 50 and 200 feet tall, the chances are that you don’t have to mark it to satisfy any FAA standards, which makes your life easy. But that may be about to change.
Small Drone Regs: What You Should Know
New FAA rules for drones were recently approved, and they may provide more opportunities for broadcasters to get in the game. The new rules are in many cases more permissive than the existing regulatory framework, but some potential pitfalls remain.
In 60 Days, Drone Journalism Will Be Legal
Matt Waite, founder of the Drone Journalism Lab at the University of Nebraska, on yesterday’s release of drone regulations by the FAA: “There are still challenges, and we haven’t even talked about state and local laws that have been piling up while the FAA lumbered toward today. But the future of drones in journalism is much brighter today than it has ever been.”
The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to announce as early as today the creation of a new category of rules for drones weighing less than 55 pounds. The long-anticipated rules would mean drone operators would be able to fly without special permission. Currently, they have to apply for a waiver from rules that govern manned aircraft, a process that can be time-consuming and expensive.
Newsgathering Drones Move A Step Closer
On Feb. 24, the FAA signaled its interest in writing its final small drone rules, expected as early as this summer, to accommodate the needs of the journalism community. While reiterating its reluctance to embrace a simple exclusion for drones below a certain weight, the agency formally appointed a new industry advisory committee, and gave it an April 1 deadline to develop recommendations for how flight over people by small drones can be made safe.
The U.S. government wants to create a new category of “micro” drones that are built with materials that won’t harm people in a crash, opening the door for more widespread uses in crowded places and other sensitive locations.
Drones No Passing Fad, CES Shows
Drones are no flash in the pan, as ample evidence at last week’s CES revealed. Ryan Nakashima reports there’s speculation that drones may become a mass-market product for consumers in three years as the FAA continues to labor away on drone-safety rules.
The drones must be marked with the owner’s unique registration number. The FAA said that would let authorities track down owners if they violate the rules. But registration also gives the agency a vehicle to educate owners just as thousands get drones as presents for Christmas and other holidays. The requirement covers aircraft weighing from more than half pound up to 55 pounds, including any payload such as a camera. Drone owners who are 13 and older will have to register on an FAA website that becomes available starting Dec. 21. The FAA expects parents to register for younger children.
If an aviation industry task force has its way, even drones as light as half a pound would need to be registered to operate. That threshold is based on the impact it could have it it fell from the sky and struck someone or hit a helicopter or plane.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government says requirements to register drones will be simple enough that owners don’t need to pay a “drone registration” firm to do it for them. Some […]
