The sources said a new advisory and rule making committee, to be announced by administration officials next week, is expected to include representatives from the drone industry, the model aircraft community and airline unions.
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The government may soon force drone owners to register their devices.
The US DOT will supposedly announce the program tonight, working with manufacturers to create a national registry.
US regulators have scrambled to regulate drones as they have proliferated in USA skies in recent years, sparking concerns from lawmakers, pilots and the general public that the devices pose a threat to manned aircraft. The U.S. Forest Service also reported 18 illegal drone flights over wildfires.
So far nothing is mentioned regarding whether the registry is going to be retroactive or will be applied to just new purchases or if it will be only applied to drones above a certain size.
If sightings continue at that rate, the number would near 1,100 by the year end.
There have been cases of drones flying near airports around the country, including Boston’s Logan global Airport. They say they want all drones to register with them so they can be tracked back to their owners if the drone is involved in accident. The unmanned vehicles are also attributed to hindering aerial firefighting of California blazes in July.
This past January, a small drone was discovered on the White House grounds, according to the Secret Service. The regulations could be introduced by Christmas, possibly to get a jump on the rise of drone sales over the holiday period.
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In September, a drone crashed into the University of Kentucky’s Commonwealth Stadium.
