Small UAV Coalition Seeks FAA Adoption of UAS Tracking, Identification Rules

The Small UAV Coalition urged FAA acting Administrator Daniel Elwell to “immediately move” to adopt a proposed rule that would establish “standards for remote identification and tracking” of drones and other unmanned aerial systems. A UAS standards rule should require all “operators who are required to register with the FAA to abide by remote identification and tracking requirements,” said Friday's letter: “Those efforts should build on” recommendations that the UAS Identification and Tracking Aviation Rulemaking Committee included in a final report submitted to the FAA in September. “There are difficult choices to be made with respect to the technological solutions identified in the Final Report, data requirements, data collection and storage, and how best to ensure effective implementation throughout the diverse universe of UAS operators,” the group said of the letter, publicized Monday. “Because identification and tracking technology continues to evolve, the proposed rule should be based on performance standards; this will enable industry to innovate and improve identification and tracking solutions over time. The notice-and-comment process will provide the opportunity to resolve these important issues and any necessary standards could and should be developed in parallel.”