Amazon blasts U.S. FAA for slowness on drone regulation
Frustration continues to bubble over with regards to drone regulation. Originally published on Reuters.
“(Reuters) – E-commerce power Amazon.com blasted federal regulators on Tuesday for being slow to approve commercial drone testing, saying the United States is falling behind other countries in the potentially lucrative area of unmanned aviation technology.
Less than a week after the Federal Aviation Administration gave Amazon.com the green light to test a delivery drone outdoors, the company told U.S. lawmakers that the prototype had already become obsolete while the company waited more than six months for the agency’s permission.
“We don’t test it anymore. We’ve moved on to more advanced designs that we already are testing abroad,” said Paul Misener, Amazon.com’s vice president for global public policy.
“Nowhere outside of the United States have we been required to wait more than one or two months to begin testing,” Misener testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security.
The Amazon.com case illustrates the frustrations of many industry representatives, who say the U.S. regulatory process is not keeping up with rapidly developing drone technology that could generate new revenues and cost savings for a range of industries.”
