In a letter sent to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget on February 28, the Commercial Drone Alliance (CDA) has asked for swift action on deregulating commercial drone operations by expediting the beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) rule.
“The time is ripe for President Trump to build on the successes of his first term and remove the bureaucratic red tape inhibiting drone technology in America,” the letter reads.
CDA says the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) draft rule (RIN 2120-AL82) to deregulate commercial BVLOS drone operations is essential to enable the industry to succeed in the United States.
“The purpose of the BVLOS rule is to enable and normalize commercial drone operations that are otherwise prohibited or require individual approval through bureaucratic and time-consuming FAA application processes,” the letter states. “We urge the Trump Administration to expedite this industry-supported rulemaking as a deregulatory action that reduces administrative burden, bolsters economic growth, and supports national security under Executive Order (EO) 14192, Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation. Quick action is possible because the FAA has already done substantial work to prepare the draft rule and interagency stakeholders have already provided input.”
The CDA says the BVLOS rule would also enhance national security interests by “increasing transparency in our airspace and by creating a normalised rule set against which we can more effectively detect rogue and malicious aircraft”.
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