FAA’s Remote ID Rule Will Enable Drone Integration

May 4, 2021 | AUVSI News

Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented new regulations addressing the remote identification of drones and drone operations over people and at night. The rules make critical steps toward assured autonomy by enabling more complex UAS uses, which will ultimately lead to more drone deliveries, public safety operations, and infrastructure inspections. 

During today’s XPONENTIAL 2021 sessions, AUVSI hosted a panel of leading experts who were involved in the rulemaking process. Their discussion on next steps and standardization demonstrated why AUVSI approaches public policy under the umbrella of three principles: safety and security, government-industry collaboration, and performance-based regulations. 

FAA’s Remote ID rule supports security. 

Remote ID rules maintain the security of our national airspace by transmitting critical information to law enforcement. Much like a license plate on a car, security personnel will soon be able to identify who a UAS belongs to and whether it is permitted to operate in a given area. By harmonizing the needs of commercial and security stakeholders, Remote ID will enable commercial drone operations to scale in a way that is secure and sustainable.

Going forward, the Remote ID rule will also form a critical baseline in the development of a UAS Traffic Management system that works alongside existing air traffic control system for manned aircraft, supporting safe UAS operations at higher elevations as airspace grows more crowded and operations more complex. 

The rule was formed through government-industry collaboration. 

It is incumbent on the unmanned systems industry to bring safe solutions forward and demonstrate how government can regulate our technology to unlock its full potential. Panelists highlighted how the Remote ID rule reflects four years of input from FAA’s aviation rulemaking and advisory committees, rapid work by standards development organization ASTM International, feedback from AUVSI, and 53,000 public comments filed in response to the FAA’s original proposal. 

The regulation is performance-based. 

Experience shows that the implementation of new regulations is most successful when agencies set goals and let allow industry innovate on the best ways to reach those goals. Remote ID is an example of a performance-based rule, with FAA formalizing what must be achieved but not prescribing how industry must reach it. This will enable UAS companies to develop new capabilities and reach new markets without requiring constant regulatory updates.

Remote ID provides an important solution for security and accountability, while also setting up a future of advanced operations, including those beyond visual line of sight. These changes will have additional untold benefits for American business and society, and AUVSI is pleased to work with stakeholders throughout the unmanned systems industry to support their implementation and support similar rulemaking from other nations’ airspace regulatory agencies.