(MintPress)— Congress passed a bill this week requiring the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop a process for streamlining civilian drone use within the next four years. With lowered restrictions on domestic use, as many as 15,000 drones may be in service in the U.S. by 2018.
The FAA Reauthorization Act, awaiting signature by President Obama, allocates $63.4 billion for the modernization of the national aviation program including satellite modifications to aircraft, improved efficiency of traffic control, and guidelines for the implementation of private sector drone use.
The FAA has been under pressure by the government to issue flying rights to law enforcement agencies and the private sector for years, but the agency is hesitant because of safety concerns of allowing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), commonly known as drones, to operate in close proximity to large aircraft in public navigable airspace.
However, with the passage of the reauthorization act, the FAA will have no more than 270 days to release a comprehensive plan with guidelines for the implementation of drones into the private sector, which will take effect no later than September 2015.
In addition to establishing guidelines “to safely accelerate the integration of civil unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace,” H.R. Bill 658 requires that the FAA respond to permission requests by government agencies within 60 days after the request is submitted. Increased government public safety access to UAVs will begin 90 days after the enactment of the bill.
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Concerns over Privacy Rights
UAS have been gaining popularity in the private sector due to their low costs and ability to operate without endangering pilots. UAVs are desired by businesses in crop dusting, oil/gas pipeline surveillance, search and rescue, flood mapping, and more.
However, as reported by MintPress in early January, UAVs are raising serious privacy concerns across the country. UAVs can be equipped with thermal, UV, and see-through imaging sensors and can detect detailed images from heights well over 1,000 feet in the air.
Privacy rights groups are concerned that new FAA guidelines and widened availability of domestic drones will fail to protect privacy rights for individuals. Without proper restrictions, some Americans worry that UAVs may be used to spy on civilians without a warrant.
Jay Stanley, co-author of the ACLU report on domestic drone use, wrote on his ACLU blog, “Congress — and to the extent possible, the FAA — need to impose some rules (such as those we proposed in our report) to protect Americans’ privacy from the inevitable invasions that this technology will otherwise lead to.”
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Who is Flying Unmanned Aircraft?
Under the current policy, agencies wishing to operate UAVs must obtain a Certification of Authorization (COA) from the FAA. Last year, the agency issued 313 certificates, but there has been no disclosure on who received the certificates and for what purposes.
The digital rights watchdog, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request demanding that the FAA release records on the agencies authorized to operate UAVs domestically.
Jennifer Lynch, the EFF attorney presenting the case, said, “we need a list so we can ask [each agency], ‘What are your policies on drone use? How do you protect privacy? How do you ensure compliance with the Fourth Amendment?’”
The lack of transparency on behalf of the FAA has done little to abate the privacy concerns raised by groups like the EFF and ACLU. However, privacy rights advocates hope that their persistent demands for transparency and regulations in the civilian drone industry will be heard by the FAA before it is too late.
The FAA will release its plans for the implementation and regulation of civilian drone use in national airspace within the next 9 months.
Source: MintPress
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