Hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee - Opening Statement of Sen. Thune, Hearing on Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Innovation, Integration, Successes, and Challenges

Hearing

Good Morning. Today we are here to discuss unmanned aircraft systems--a topic which received a lot of attention during last year's FAA reauthorization debate.

This hearing will examine the successes and the challenges we face with respect to the continued integration of unmanned aircraft systems, often referred to as UAS or drones, into the national airspace system.

As all of you know, this exciting technology has the capability to change, and in some cases has already changed, the way many companies do business.

Obtaining an easily accessible aerial view via an off-the-shelf drone for realtors or photographers, and collecting even more advanced data for farmers, energy companies, or first responders are just a few examples of how UAS can increase safety, expand opportunities, and create significant efficiencies.

Innovators across the industry are continuing to find new ways to market services, solve technical problems, mitigate safety risks, and remain on the cutting edge of the future of this technology.

In addition to commercial activities, hundreds of thousands of drones have been sold and registered to hobbyists and recreational users around the country. Some of these users are long-time aviation enthusiasts while many others have been engaged by this new technology and are excited to take flight for the first time.

Drones have proven to be so popular, in fact, that the online registration system for small UAS, which went live in 2015, already has 750,000 unmanned registrations, compared to the roughly 315,000 registrations for manned aircraft.

While unmanned aircraft systems have been employed by the military for decades, integration of both commercial and recreational drones into the national airspace was first addressed in law by the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. Since that time, we have come a long way in terms of adoption, research, technology, and public policy.

More recently, Congress was able to continue to exercise oversight and provide clear direction on the FAA's integration efforts with the passage of the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 last summer.

In an effort to increase safety and security, this legislation requires the Secretary of Transportation to establish a process for restricted airspace designations by the operators of critical infrastructure.

Given the experience gained by the FAA in granting exemptions provided for in the 2012 legislation, the 2016 bill expands FAA's authority to allow UAS operations beyond visual line of sight and at night for applicants who demonstrate a solid safety case. As was the case in the development of the small UAS rule, I hope that use of the expanded authority will give both industry and the FAA confidence in the safety of such operations, which will eventually allow for even more routine use.

This legislation also included provisions requiring the development of remote identification standards that will enable individuals to identify an operator of a UAS. This ability is critical for FAA enforcement efforts and the ability of individuals to avail themselves of state and local laws that protect them from unwanted involvement with a UAS.

The original Senate-passed FAA bill included numerous other drone-related provisions that didn't make it into the final extension. I anticipate that, as we work toward another FAA reauthorization this year, these issues will continue to be advanced by members of this Committee and the aviation community at large.

At the agency level, with the expansion of UAS technology, the FAA has had to reevaluate how it operates and how it engages with the aviation stakeholder community--a community that includes a new cohort of users who may be less familiar with the National Airspace System, but who can bring new talents to bear in addressing regulatory challenges and finding safety solutions.

Through the establishment of the UAS Integration Office, the FAA has begun to collaborate with the UAS industry, other government agencies, research partners, and Congress to aggressively pursue safe integration in a timely fashion.

And while integration hasn't proceeded as fast as many would like, the FAA has taken steps to accelerate collaboration with the establishment of the Drone Advisory Committee and the Unmanned Aircraft Safety Team--both of which are government and industry partnerships.

In August of 2016, the FAA also finalized the long-awaited small UAS rule, which, for the first time, provided direction for the routine use of commercial drones. These regulations established clear "rules of the road" for certain operations and streamlined what was previously an onerous case-by-case approval process for operators.

In addition to the online UAS registration system for commercial and recreational users I previously mentioned, the FAA has also expanded education efforts, through initiatives such as the "Know Before You Fly" campaign, designed to provide important safety information to UAS users.

The FAA has also partnered with NASA on research and development of an unmanned traffic management system or "UTM." This research may ultimately lead to a complementary system to today's Air Traffic Organization for manned aircraft that will allow for drone fleet operations and package delivery.

And importantly, the industry, from manufacturers to software developers to practical users, continues to innovate.

While there is no silver bullet, safety technologies, including geofencing, altitude limitations, and sense and avoid capabilities, have the ability to continue to improve the safe operations of unmanned aircraft--technological achievements which may someday be used to improve safety in manned aviation.

The same innovative energy that enables new uses for this technology is also driving advances in safety and accountability, often faster than the pace of regulations. That pace of innovation is a benefit we should protect as the regulatory framework matures.

As we contemplate another FAA authorization, today's hearing is an opportunity to receive an update on the FAA's progress in implementing the Congressional mandates from the 2012 and 2016 legislation. In particular, we will examine the successes and challenges the FAA has faced in the effort to safely integrate drones into the national airspace.

I am confident we can get there. It will likely take even more innovation and out-of-the-box thinking on the part of the agency and the industry, and maybe even on the part of this Committee--along with appropriate direction and oversight.

Thank you to all of the witnesses to being here today. I look forward to hearing your testimony.

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