Last week, a federal complaint was filed against Andrew Hernandez in federal District Court in California charging him with the unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft (or drone). The allegations against Hernandez include hindering a police investigation of a burglary at a pharmacy. While a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter was heading to the scene
Is there a Way to Monetize Commercial Drone Data?
By Kathryn Rattigan on
Posted in Drones
By the end of the year, it is estimated that there will be about 600,000 commercial drones operating in the United States. U.S. Transportation Secretary, Anthony Foxx says, “We are in one of the most dramatic periods of change in the history of transportation.” From agricultural to infrastructural surveying to package delivery and even firefighter…
Recreational model aircraft hobbyist files appeal against FAA for drone registration
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Drones
We previously reported that model aircraft hobbyist John Taylor filed suit against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) challenging the requirement to register with the FAA in order to fly his model aircraft near his home. On June 14, 2016, Mr. Taylor filed his appeal to the DC Court of Appeals to “order the FAA to…
Texas resident makes claims that Texas drone law is unconstitutional
By Kathryn Rattigan on
Posted in Drones
Last week, Texas resident Manuel Flores filed suit in Texas challenging the constitutionality of the state’s drone surveillance law. His suit claims that the law treats approximately one million residents categorically differently from those in the rest of the state. The Texas drone law at issue here, Section 423.002(a)(14) of the Texas Government Code, states…
FAA announces streamlined drone registration process
By Kathryn Rattigan on
On Monday, December 14, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a “user-friendly” online aircraft registration system for owners of drones (or more officially called “small unmanned aircrafts”) that weigh more than 0.55 pounds but less than 55 pounds. This registration is a statutory requirement that applies to all types of aircrafts. Anyone who has owned…
First meeting of drone privacy stakeholders; will it result in any privacy guidelines?
By Kathryn Rattigan on
Posted in Drone Privacy, Drones
In a previous post, we discussed the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) proposed drone regulations, and now, on August 3, 2015, the first drone privacy stakeholder meeting ensued in Washington, D.C., led by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). NTIA director, John Verdi, told media that the goal of this first meeting was to…