Whitehouse Introduces Bill to Protect Aircraft from Drones

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse introduced a bill to help protect American air traffic from the growing risk posed by drones.

Whitehouse's Drone Operator Safety Act would make it a criminal offense to fly a drone in a way that interferes with the operation of manned aircraft in federal airspace. It also prohibits operators from flying drones in an airport's arrival or departure flight paths without permission from the airport's air traffic control tower. Violators would be subject to a fine, prison time, or both.

"As drones become more popular, it's important to make sure they're not endangering aircraft or their passengers. This bill would encourage flying drones responsibly by cracking down on those who interfere with commercial airspace," said Whitehouse, who has worked previously on air-safety legislation in the Senate. "It's a commonsense way to prevent a few bad actors from giving this new technology a bad name."

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