i3 - July/August 2016 - 33

By Natalie Hope McDonald

Policy

T EC H P O L I CY

The Great Drone Debate

RedDaxLuma/iStock

lassifying anything as the "next big thing" can be a bit of a
gamble. It creates an inordinate amount of pressure to deliver
nothing less than epic results. It also projects a cult-like
status onto some of the best inventions, the ones bursting
with potential, before they even had a chance to get off the ground.

Today, drones are not only a hot topic of conversation from websites to hobby shops to research
labs, but also on Capitol Hill where legislators are debating how many (or few)
regulations are needed in a world
poised to become populated with
these smart high fliers.
Not only have drones
soared into cultural consciousness ever since the
first unmanned aerial vehicles
were introduced by the military
in the 1990s, their entrance into
the mainstream consumer sector has
sparked debate over usage rights, privacy
and security that's not going away anytime
soon. As these devices become even more
popular among average hobbyists and pros alike,
constructive national dialogues have taken place, particularly regarding privacy. For example, the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) hosted a "multi-stakeholder" meeting
that recently concluded with consensus privacy and
security best practices for drone operators.
According to CTA, sales of drones in the U.S. will
top 2.8 million units this year, up almost 150 percent
from the year before. By 2017, we can expect the
number to skyrocket. CTA predicts there could
conceivably be as many as one million drone
flights per day in the U.S. by 2025, but only
under the right policy environment.
Interestingly, it's only been about six years since
drones have actually been available to consumers. Up
until the first drone, the Parrot AR, debuted at CES in
2010, these space-age devices, a big step up from the
remote-controlled helicopters we played with as kids,
were largely used in the military for reconnaissance
considered too dangerous for humans. George Lucas

C TA . t e c h / i 3

also planted a seed when he introduced dronelike devices into his legendary Star Wars
franchise. Like jet packs and augmented
and virtual reality, drones are enjoying a kind of Hollywood status
come to life.
They've come a long
way since they first
lifted off at trade shows
and shopping malls.
The latest models tout
even smaller, more lightweight high-resolution cameras
with high frame rates, improved
stabilization, as well as smartphone
controls and a range of features like
obstacle avoidance systems and "follow me"
functions. Today's drones are being used widely
by photographers, would-be cinematographers,
first responders and scientists. And though the technology is improving rapidly with new models being
released each season, drones really haven't strayed
too far from their roots. They're still being used
creatively to chronicle the world around us while
inviting important questions about usage.
The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA)
Unmanned Aircraft Systems Registration Task
Force and Micro UAS Aviation Rulemaking
Committee are examples of recent and
successful collaboration between the
private sector, including the aviation and
technology sectors, and the FAA. The consensus
recommendations they have made will likely
influence FAA decisions on how drones will be used
and regulated for years to come, both in the U.S. and
around the world.
The next phase of regulatory talk will be less about
what laws are passed than who gets to pass them.

JULY/AUGUST 2016

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i3 - July/August 2016

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