Kathryn Rattigan

Kathryn Rattigan

Kathryn Rattigan is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Data Privacy and Security Team. She concentrates her practice on privacy and security compliance under both state and federal regulations and advising clients on website and mobile app privacy and security compliance. Kathryn helps clients review, revise and implement necessary policies and procedures under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). She also provides clients with the information needed to effectively and efficiently handle potential and confirmed data breaches while providing insight into federal regulations and requirements for notification and an assessment under state breach notification laws. Prior to joining the firm, Kathryn was an associate at Nixon Peabody. She earned her J.D., cum laude, from Roger Williams University School of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Stonehill College. She is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Read her full rc.com bio here.

Subscribe to all posts by Kathryn Rattigan

New Drone System Tested Without Use of GPS

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Langley Research Centers has taken on the challenge of using drones in GPS-deprived environments, so it gathered a group of students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to help find a solution for that problem. Those MIT students came back to NASA with a plan for a … Continue Reading

NYPD to Add Fleet of Crime-Fighting Drones

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
This week, the New York Police Department (NYPD) announced that it will be adding a fleet of crime-fighting drones to its ranks. The NYPD plans to roll out 14 drones as part of its technology “evolution.” Police Commissioner James O’Neill said, “As the largest municipal police department in the United States, the NYPD must always … Continue Reading

Draft International Standards for Drones Released

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
The International Organization for Standardization (IOS) released the first draft of a set of global standards for drone use. The draft suggests no-fly zones around airports and other restricted areas, and geofencing measures to keep drones away from certain sensitive areas (e.g., critical infrastructure). The draft standards also instruct drone operators to respect others’ privacy … Continue Reading

OIG Audit Results Released on FAA Drone Waiver Processes

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
Last week, a new audit report was released regarding the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) unmanned aircraft system (UAS or drone) waiver process. According to the audit, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has found room for improvement. In particular, the FAA’s timeliness in response to waiver requests could improve. The audit was conducted between … Continue Reading

More Than 50,000 LAANC Applications Processed

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) nationwide deployment of the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) system has processed more than 50,000 applications from drone operators for authorization to fly in controlled airspace since November 2017. The LAANC system now covers about 300 air traffic facilities that service approximately 500 airports, and provides nearly instant … Continue Reading

Radio City Music Hall Welcomes Drones to its Stage this Holiday Season

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
One-hundred (100) Intel drones will hit the stage this holiday season at Radio City Music Hall to perform with the Rockettes in the production of the Christmas Spectacular. The Intel Shooting Star mini drones will create a light show using choreographed movements to create holiday-themed silhouettes in a new finale scene called “Christmas Lights.” Executive … Continue Reading

Hartford City Council Proposes to Oversee Law Enforcement Use of Drones

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
In Hartford, Connecticut the police department plans to deploy drones throughout Hartford neighborhoods, however, the Hartford City Council seeks to oversee the use of drones by law enforcement including the type of equipment they use, monitoring of their use and data retention practices. Police Chief David Rosado said, “This ordinance, as currently proposed, would significantly … Continue Reading

Drones in Kenya: Saving Money for Taxpayers

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
Power China was hired to complete the construction of about 265 miles of power line within seven months in Kenya after a Spanish utility company, who began the work, went bankrupt. This was a rather large undertaking for Power China given the timeframe. However, that’s where the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drones) … Continue Reading

Ford’s Self-Driving Cars to Hit the Roads in D.C.

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Autonomous Vehicles
Last week, Ford Motor Company (Ford) announced its partnership with Washington, D.C.’s city government to start testing self-driving cars in the beginning of 2019. Ford’s self-driving startup business, Argo AI, has already started mapping the city. To date, self-driving cars have only been tested in suburbs and smaller cities. Ford plans to launch its self-driving … Continue Reading

New FAA Operating Restrictions for Drones

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), at the request of the Department of Defense (DOD) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG), issued new drone operating restrictions to address concerns about potentially malicious drone operations over certain high-priority maritime operations. Drones are restricted from flying near U.S. Navy (USN) and USCG vessels operating in the vicinity … Continue Reading

President Trump Signs the FAA Reauthorization Act: What Does it Mean for Drones?

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
On October 5, 2018, President Trump signed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act which establishes new conditions for the recreational use of drones and immediately repealed the Special Rule for Model Aircraft. The FAA is currently evaluating the impact of this change and how the organization will implement these changes. In addition to continuing … Continue Reading

The Reality of Self-Driving Cars and the Regulatory Hurdles

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Autonomous Vehicles
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says in its guidelines for automakers and state regulators regarding autonomous vehicles that “‘automated’ or ‘self-driving’ vehicles are a future technology rather than one that you’ll find in a dealership tomorrow or in the next few years,” because “a variety of technological hurdles have to be cleared, and … Continue Reading

Drone Flights Over Football Fans

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
For the first time in the U.S., a commercial drone equipped with a parachute safety system was permitted to fly over people during a football game in North Dakota last week. A DJI Phantom 4 being controlled by a North Dakota drone operator, Botlink, used a drone safety solutions company’s “SafeAir System” (ParaZero) to conduct … Continue Reading

FAA Issues Guidance on Enforcement for UAS Violators

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
Drone pilots who interfere with those fighting wildfires, conducting law enforcement tasks, or other first responders (such as medical flights) are now more likely to face serious civil penalties. Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued guidance for agency personnel who handle drone violations to refer all such cases to the FAA’s Chief Counsel’s … Continue Reading

FAA Approves Nine New LAANC Service Providers

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced new partners in its Low Altitude and Notification Capability (LAANC) initiative. LAANC is the system created by the FAA and industry stakeholders that provides near real-time processing of airspace authorizations for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operations under the FAA’s Part 107 regulations. Now, after a five-month onboarding process (which … Continue Reading

New Patent Looks to Blockchain for Drone Security

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Data Security, Digital Assets, Drones, Virtual Currency
According to recent documents made public by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) IBM has applied for a patent for a system that would use distributed ledger technology to address privacy and security concerns associated with the increasing usage of drones in both commercial and recreational applications. In the application for this patent, IBM’s … Continue Reading

FAA’s LANNC: Last Stop, Central North U.S.

By Kathryn Rattigan on Posted in Drones
As of last week, the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) is nationwide. We wrote about the FAA’s initiation of LAANC in April, with incremental deployment at air traffic facilities and airports, with the final deployment on September 13 (last week). That last deployment occurred in the Central North region … Continue Reading
LexBlog