The United States government has been working on setting up rules and regulations to regulate the growing drone industry. Drones are easily purchased, and free to fly almost without restraints. Now though, the federal government is looking to finalize the rules and laws that they have been working on to regulate this almost completely unregulated field. Officials have been working on these regulations to ensure that drones which are conventionally used to monitor oil fields, pipelines, and even properties for real-estate issues. As long as those piloting these unmanned crafts remain below 400 feet, they are ultimately free to act without restriction.
However, farmers, the movie industry, businesses, and even news media operations have suggested that the benefits of making drones a more freely used if the restriction is kept to a minimum. Currently, it’s illegal for businesses to fly drones, and the same goes for those who fly a drone for profit. Essentially, one of the major issues that the government is hoping to tackle is determining what the value, or worth of this is, and what would the ultimate cost be – in relation to what the government could cash in on as well.
Max Tubman, a cinematographer in Philadelphia, said, “I totally support[s] the regulations.” He went on to point out that “one in four jobs that people call me about I turn down because they want to fly over City Hall or fly down Broad Street. I turn down the work for safety issues.” Increasing the regulation wouldn’t be seen as something bad, oddly enough, in this particular industry. Usually regulation means restriction, but many view this as an opportunity to expand opportunity and limit the actual restriction by creating more effective rules for keeping everything in check.
Drones have gotten very inexpensive, as well. When the technology first became available in mainstream markets – it was almost too expensive for the casual user to maintain. However, over time, it has become less-expensive, and ultimately given individuals the opportunity to spend as little as $100 to receive a really high-quality drone that is capable of doing some impressive work. The security risks though are something that many have weighed. The fact that drones can be loaded with a camera and sent in places where cameras shouldn’t be is a concern that many people have. It’s clear though that a decision is both close and will prove to be significantly beneficial for a number of situations.