The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), the Commercial Drone Alliance, the Consumer Technology Association, and the Small UAV Coalition are urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to publish a proposed rule to establish a process to designate airspace above and around fixed-site critical infrastructure facilities.
Critical infrastructure facilities are those that are so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, economic security, or public health and safety. Facilities include those in defense, emergency services, communications, manufacturing, energy, food and agriculture, healthcare, and transportation systems sectors.
In a letter sent on June 29 to the FAA, the organizations highlighted Congressional mandates to promulgate such rulemaking, including requirements passed in the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 and the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018.
The letter demonstrates broad agreement among drone industry stakeholders that a robust strategy to protect critical infrastructure facilities requires centralized decision-making and airspace authority from the federal government. Auvsi says the FAA should not delay in publishing the proposed rule and providing opportunity for the industry to provide feedback.