(NewsNation) — The Trump administration is seeking to ease commercial drone delivery regulations in a move that U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said “may change the way” people have parcels delivered.
A federal rule proposed in August would make it easier for companies to use drones over longer distances out of the operator’s sight without having to go through a cumbersome waiver process.
The federal government had already approved 657 waivers to allow companies such as Amazon and major utilities to do this in certain circumstances, but the waiver process made it difficult. The rule would establish a clear process for drone operators to seek approval for using drones this way.
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The industry has long pressed for the rule because being able to operate drones out of sight opens a multitude of possibilities for their use. Being able to do this enables more use of drones for deliveries, inspecting infrastructure inclduing bridges and power lines and other uses in agriculture such as spraying fertilizer over thousands of acres on large farms.
Andreas Taptopoulos, CEO of Matternet, told NewsNation the regulation could open untold doors for the industry.
“When you go to a hospital, you may be able to go in and out of the hospital much faster because your blood sample or your medication may be delivered via drone.”
The rule spells out the circumstances drones can be used. These out of sight flights will only be allowed under 400 feet, and there are precautions to ensure they don’t disrupt aviation or cause problems around airports, Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford said. The drones will be required to have collision-avoidance technology to keep them away from planes and other drones. And the rule will only allow drones up to 1,320 pounds — including their payloads.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
