By Dronelife Features Editor Jim Magill A coalition of news media associations has sent a letter to the FAA, raising questions about the agency’s recent issuance of a controversial Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM), which imposes sweeping restrictions to the operation of UAVs above or near federal agents and their vehicles. In the letter, addressed to FAA’s Chief Counsel … [Read more...] about News Media Coalition Letter Challenges FAA’s Expansive NOTAM
First Amendment
Media Coalition Pushes Back on FAA’s Part 108 Rule, Citing Threats to Press Freedom
News group warns Part 108 could impinge on free speech By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill A coalition of almost two dozen major news media organizations has raised concerns that the proposed FAA Part 108 rule could hamper journalists’ efforts to report the news using drones. In its comment to the FAA’s proposed rule, which would establish a standardized framework for … [Read more...] about Media Coalition Pushes Back on FAA’s Part 108 Rule, Citing Threats to Press Freedom
Texas Drone Law Heads to Supreme Court: Key Free Speech Case in the Balance
Texas’ controversial drone law case could be headed to Supreme Court By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide within the next several months whether to hear the appeal of a decision to uphold a Texas law that severely restricts the use of drones by photojournalists and others. Plaintiffs in the case of National Press Photographers … [Read more...] about Texas Drone Law Heads to Supreme Court: Key Free Speech Case in the Balance
Is Drone Mapping a First Amendment Right? This NC Lawsuit Has Major Implications for the Commercial Drone Industry
Is Drone Mapping the Same as Surveying, Which Requires a License and Board Certification? Institute for Justice Advocates for First Amendment Rights in North Carolina Drone Case In a recent development that could have far-reaching implications for commercial drone businesses, the non-profit Institute for Justice (IJ) presented oral arguments in a First Amendment case in … [Read more...] about Is Drone Mapping a First Amendment Right? This NC Lawsuit Has Major Implications for the Commercial Drone Industry
The TFR Over Standing Rock: What Law Enforcement Doesn’t Want You to See
News and Commentary. The FAA has issued a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the Dakota Access Pipeline Protest, prohibiting any aircraft other than law enforcement from flying over the site for a 4-nautical mile radius. Regardless of the claim that the TFR is for "safety," the effect of the TFR is to block any legitimate documentation of activities on either side: … [Read more...] about The TFR Over Standing Rock: What Law Enforcement Doesn’t Want You to See
