FAA struggles to deal with the demands of the drone industry
According to a report published by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, drones could add $82bn and 100,000 jobs to the US economy by 2025. However, FAA regulations are threatening to prevent the drone industry from flourishing. CNBC reports that members from 20 large corporations, which include Amazon, Google, Boeing, CBS, Textron and Monsanto, have all cited the use of drones while lobbying to the federal government in the second quarter, up from nine mentions last year. It is clear that the potential applications of drone technologies are massive, yet regulatory measures are threatening the efforts of large corporations in a rapidly growing and lucrative industry.
Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images

When Amazon pushed for drone delivery before Congress this summer, it put big technology at the front of corporate efforts to use the aircraft. But it's not just big tech companies that are pushing Washington to expand general use of drones, also called unmanned aerial vehicles. Twenty groups—from large tech and defense companies to media conglomerates, real estate agents and agriculture—cited "unmanned aerial vehicles" while lobbying the federal government in the second quarter, up from nine mentions in the previous year. That wide range of potential applications also means that the technology is subject to competing regulatory jurisdictions—a situation that threatens to complicate the effort to solidify rules for use of the fast-growing technology. "When you have an environment like that, sometimes it's tough even for the best organized interests [to get their preferred outcome]. Despite lots of advocacy efforts, the industry itself is having a hard time coming to a consensus around terms," said Greg McNeal, a law professor at Pepperdine University and drone policy expert.



In February, the Federal Aviation Administration—which has primary regulatory authority over drones—proposed regulations on the private use of drones weighing less than 55 pounds that would limit usage to daylight, and require drones to be kept within the operator's line of sight. (The agency has since taken public comments on the proposal.) The agency has also issued temporary licenses and certifications to some companies for commercial purposes on a case-by-case basis. Speaking before Congress this summer, FAA Deputy Administrator Michael Whitaker said revised rules could be ready within a year.

But they may not come fast enough to appease large businesses, which have recognized drones' transformative potential. Possible commercial applications include package delivery, photography or spraying pesticides on crops. The use of drones could add $82 billion and 100,000 jobs to the U.S. economy by 2025, according to industry group Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. Amazon this summer said it planned to have its Prime Air delivery ready to launch by the time the FAA sets guidelines. Read MoreManagers are using drones to monitor their employees "Companies have really waited with bated breath for what the FAA is going to do," said David Swindell, director of the Center for Urban Innovation at Arizona State University and a drone policy expert. The FAA and AUVSI declined to comment on the record. But the FAA faces a difficult task in molding rules to fit the broad range of corporate functions.

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