Drone industry urges prompt release of BVLOS and critical-infrastructure rules
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Summary
Industry representatives and the subcommittee pressed the FAA to finish rulemaking on beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights and a petition process for critical infrastructure protections; witnesses said missed statutory deadlines are delaying scaled public-safety and commercial applications.
Representatives of the uncrewed systems industry told the House Aviation Subcommittee that statutory deadlines for rulemaking on key drone authorities have been missed and urged expedited FAA action.
Michael Robbins, president and CEO of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), said parts of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 that direct performance-based rulemaking and BVLOS operations have not been completed on schedule. Robbins told the subcommittee that the BVLOS rulemaking tied to section 930 of the reauthorization is overdue by more than 260 days.
Why it matters: BVLOS and a process for restricting drone operations near critical infrastructure are central to scaling public-safety, infrastructure-inspection and commercial delivery uses. Industry witnesses said case-by-case waivers have produced real-world benefits but are not a substitute for an enforceable rule that allows operators to plan investment and operations at scale.
Robbins described a draft BVLOS rule that had reached the White House for interagency review and urged immediate release of that draft to keep implementation moving. He also cited section 229/2209 from earlier statutes (2016 FAA extension language referenced in testimony) that directs creation of a petition process for critical-infrastructure operators; witnesses said a formal process still does not exist nearly a decade later.
AUVSI and other industry witnesses also urged the FAA to implement section 906, which directs study and adoption of electronic conspicuity solutions to increase situational awareness in low-altitude airspace, and to prioritize digital infrastructure investments as part of broader ATC modernization platforms.
Lawmakers and witnesses warned that continued delays hurt public-safety applications — for example, disaster response and infrastructure inspection — and deter investment in advanced air mobility and drone delivery. Robbins said that while recent FAA momentum on case-by-case waivers has been helpful, the waiver pathway is “not a substitute for a comprehensive rule.”
The committee flagged potential administrative paths to accelerate delivery, including use of interagency review at the White House and possible interim final rulemaking. Members also noted that the reauthorization set statutory deadlines and that the committee will continue oversight until the FAA publishes the rules.