FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 23, 2017
Contact: Tom McMahon, tmcmahon@auvsi.org, (571) 255-7786
AUVSI: Clear Regulatory Framework, Collaboration Necessary for UAS Deliveries
Testimony before House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee urges FAA, stakeholders to make advancement of unmanned systems a national imperative
WASHINGTON — At a hearing today by the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection, Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), discussed the steps necessary to make unmanned aircraft system (UAS) deliveries more commonplace.
“Technology is advancing at lightning speed, especially in the realm of UAS,” Wynne said in his testimony. “Our industry stands to create enormous economic value for the country. UAS deliveries are not held back by innovation, imagination or technology, but by a lack of regulatory clarity.”
Last August, the FAA finalized its small UAS rule, also known as Part 107, paving the way for anyone who follows the rules to fly UAS for commercial purposes. The FAA expects more than 400,000 UAS could be flying for commercial purposes over the next five years – a more than six-fold increase from today. Recognizing the need for the rule to be flexible in order to foster innovation, Part 107 also created a waiver process that allows for certain expanded operations with FAA approval.
“An economic analysis by AUVSI projects that the expansion of UAS technology will create more than 100,000 jobs and generate more than $82 billion to the economy in the first decade following full integration in to the national airspace,” Wynne added. “After witnessing the growth of the industry over the last few years and now with Part 107 in place, these figures will likely go higher under the right conditions and once we achieve full integration.”
Wynne also called for additional industry-government collaboration and for the government to invest in emerging UAS technology to take advantage of the economic benefits that are enabled by expanded operations, such as deliveries.
“We need a new national imperative in unmanned systems that, like the air traffic control system and interstate highway system before it, creates greater capacity, reduces road congestion, fulfills consumer demand and facilitates the future of commerce,” Wynne said. “Industry is bringing the technology; government needs to do more to support it and advance innovations such as delivery services.”
Wynne’s full testimony is attached.
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About AUVSI
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) — the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of unmanned systems and robotics — represents more than 7,500 members from more than 60 countries involved in the fields of government, industry and academia. AUVSI members work in the defense, civil and commercial markets. For more information, visit AUVSI.org.