With drone technology rapidly advancing and the FAA recently starting to open the door to commercial drone use, companies across industries should begin evaluating how drones can add value to their businesses, if they have not already done so.

Drones can benefit a wide range of industries and activities, including (to name only a few): industrial-scale agriculture; energy generation, transmission, production, and pipeline facilities; other conveyances and linear projects (such as water and flood control); transportation infrastructure, including railways, roads, ports, and waterways, and the rolling stock, vehicles, and vessels that use them; private and public emergency response (e.g., fire, flooding); insurance and accident inspection; and resource assessment, monitoring, and compliance. But without input from leaders in these industries, their use of drones may not be realized in the foreseeable future. Industry leaders need to demand that the FAA’s much-anticipated Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for small UAS—now expected to be issued in the first half of December—is reasonable and practical for the wide range of industries and activities, and fosters drone use and innovation while responsibly ensuring public safety.