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Lawmakers Hear Conflicting Views on Multiple Drone Bills Covering Privacy, Safety and Federal Preemption
Summary
Multiple witnesses — including municipal pilots, commercial operators, public-safety officials and industry representatives — testified for and against several drone-related bills, raising conflicts between proposed state restrictions and existing federal rules.
Representatives, senators and a range of drone operators told the Joint Committee on Transportation on Wednesday that proposed Massachusetts bills addressing unmanned aerial systems raise both safety concerns and practical conflicts with federal aviation rules.
Representative Brian Murray said he filed a bill to define unmanned aerial vehicle operations, prohibit arming drones and to bar surveillance of private property without consent. “There’s a prohibition of arming these things with weapons that could cause serious bodily injury,” Murray said, adding his bill would also ban surveillance of an individual’s private property without consent.
Opponents from the commercial drone…
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