The Federal Aviation Administration recently approved the requests of six movie and TV production companies to use drones for filming on certain sets. This decision marks the first time the FAA has permitted commercial drone use in the continental United States.

Hollywood is not the only facet of the entertainment industry looking to incorporate drones into its business — last month, Cirque du Soleil, the largest theatrical producer in the world, released a video depicting a technician interacting with an array of colorful lights and lampshades, mounted on drones, that appeared to follow and dance around the amused technician. That video came in the wake of entertainment giant Disney’s August application for three drone patents related to production of its amusement park’s outdoor shows.

The movie industry is no stranger to the practice of drone use — major studios have used small, unmanned aircraft to shoot aerial footage in the production of blockbuster films for some time now, citing the cost and safety benefits of drones. To date, however, that filming was confined to overseas shoots in countries with few regulations and restrictions on the operation of drones.

Decisions like the one just revealed by the FAA may be small, but meaningful, steps in the right regulatory direction, as individual states and the federal government seek to create a climate that encourages jobs to remain on U.S. soil. As the drone industry continues to gain momentum in the U.S., it will be important for regulators and legislators at the national and local level to keep pace, or risk seeing the technology — and with it, jobs — relocate to friendlier skies.