In August 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) promulgated new Part 107 regulations concerning small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (“sUAS”) (popularly known as drones), thus allowing expanded use of drones for commercial purposes in the United States. Although those regulations were somewhat of a boost to the UAS market, everyone has waited with great anticipation for additional FAA regulations that will allow greater flexibility for commercial sUAS operations outside of the restrictions of Part 107, including allowing sUAS operations at night, above people, and/or beyond visual line-of-sight (“BVLOS”). The FAA and the current administration have taken several steps recently toward the ultimate goal of putting a set of regulations in place that will allow expanded commercial and other uses of drones, and will also ensure that drones operate safely and securely in national airspace.

Originally published in the May–June 2019 edition of RAIL: The Journal of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & Law.