US: FAA delays release of remote ID draft rule for drones

The FAA has postponed the release of a draft rulemaking for remote identification of drones by two months until December, delaying definition of a means of identifying small unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) from the ground that is considered essential to expanding their use. According to the US DoT) monthly report on significant rulemakings, the FAA expects to publish the Remote ID notice of proposed rulemaking on Dec. 20, with a comment period running through January 2020. Earlier this year, the agency delayed the release of the draft rule to September from July, citing its complexity. Also delayed by seven months to Sept. 28, 2020 is the release of a draft rule that would establish drone-specific flight restrictions near critical infrastructure. FAA officials have described Remote ID as the agency’s top regulatory priority for UAVs, and a needed function to allow flights of drones over people and beyond an operator’s visual line of sight.<br/>