Due to
Republican recalcitrance to spend money on science-and-technology-based
initiatives and general orneriness there is no chance of the Congress approving
the creation of a Federal Robotics Commission, as called for here.
But there’s
a good chance that some robot regulation will take place if U.S. Senator from
California Diane Feinstein’s pending bill, the “Consumer Drone Safety Act,” SB1608, is included as part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s
Re-authorization bill later this year.
:
According
to a summary of the bill prepared by the Senator’s staff:
“The
development of new, highly capable drones available commercially to untrained
consumers carries great potential and great risk. While many drone enthusiasts
are conscientious, the expanding use of these drones could have terrible
consequences if not properly managed.
“The FAA
is receiving more than one report per day of unauthorized or dangerous drone
activity near airplanes and airports. The Consumer
Drone Safety Act would put in place common-sense safety precautions to
minimize the risk of a disastrous mid-air collision or crash to the ground.
“Safety
Requirements for Consumer Drones
“The Consumer Drone Safety Act calls for new
safety regulations on ‘consumer drones,’ which it defines as small civil
unmanned aircraft that are manufactured for commercial distribution and are
equipped with an automatic stabilization system or a camera for navigation.”
The bill
is currently pending in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation..
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