The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday revealed two new rules for unmanned aircraft—including remote identification of all FAA-registered drones.
Remote ID provides identification of drones in flight, as well as the location of their control stations, ensuring national security, law enforcement, and other officials have the airspace awareness needed to reduce risks in the sky and on the ground.
There are three ways for drone operators to comply with the Remote ID rule:
Fly a standard Remote ID drone that broadcasts identification and location information of the drone and control station.
Fly a drone with a Remote ID broadcast module (which may be a separate device attached to the UAV) that broadcasts identification, location, and take-off information.
Fly a drone without Remote ID, but only at specific FAA-recognized identification areas.
The move, according to the FAA, aims to "help mitigate risks associated with expanded drone operations," like this week's second measure, which allows small drones to fly over people and at night (under certain conditions).
Remote pilots must have their certificate and identification on hand, "ready to present to authorities if needed," the administration said.
"These final rules carefully address safety, security, and privacy concerns while advancing opportunities for innovation and utilization of drone technology," Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao said in a statement.
The new FAA code offers increased flexibility, like the ability to operate certain small unmanned aerial vehicles without obtaining a waiver (as required by federal aviation regulations).
"The new rules make way for the further integration of drones into our airspace by addressing safety and security concerns," FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said. "They get us closer to the day when we will more routinely see drone operations such as the delivery of packages."
Both rules become effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. Manufacturers then have 18 months to begin producing machines with Remote ID; operators have an additional year to start using UAVs with Remote ID.
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