As Rep. Shuster’s 2016 FAA Reauthorization proposal (the AIRR Act) has been tabled for now, time is running out for the FAA. The FAA’s current authorization expires on March 31, and FAA reauthorization remains one of the last hard deadline items for Congress to address.
To deal with the problem the House voted Monday to extend funding for the Federal Aviation Administration until July 15 while Congress works towards consensus on a longer-term solution.
The Senate, who introduced their own Reauthorization proposal last week, is expected to follow the House in passing the interim package; Congress will have to come up with a long term bill that both houses can agree upon between now and July.
There are a number of contentious points at issue. The ambitious AIRR Act proposed a dramatic overhaul of the FAA, privatizing the Air Traffic Control section of the agency – which represents about 80% of the FAA’s workforce. Democrats oppose privatization; the Washington Post reports that Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) says that agreement could be reached except for that provision.
“The current House reauthorization bill contains much needed certification reforms, direction to speed up the integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and a long term authorization of programs and funding,” Larsen said in a statement. “Back in February, I said this bill could be a slam dunk but for privatization, and today I still feel that way. Unfortunately, this controversial privatization plan brings up the very real possibility that we could be looking at a series of extensions. As we know all too well, a series of short-term extensions has very real impacts on all users of the aviation system.”
The Senate Commerce Committee proposed a new bill last week to reauthorize the FAA through Sept. 30, 2017: they will hold a markup on Wednesday.
For drone stakeholders, the FAA Reauthorization is important, as it contains wording about completing drone integration regulation. The House bill provided for risk-based certification of drones, which more closely mirrors the approach to drone regulation taken by Europe. A micro-drone classification was added to the proposed bill as an amendment, but the FAA later said that they had “decided not to move forward” on a micro drone class.
The new Senate bill re-introduces the idea of a micro drone class, but additionally proposes that the potential for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flight be prioritized. Allowing BVLOS flight is a necessary step before drone delivery and other large scale commercial applications can be implemented.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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