A federal administrative law judge rescinded the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) fine of a drone operator on grounds that there was no law banning the commercial use of drones. Drones have been used by journalists to cover stories from the air. The ruling opens up the skies below 400 feet to drones. (Politico, March 6, 2014, by Kevin Robillard)
The FAA stopped enforcement of the ruling with an appeal writing that they were concerned about the safety of allowing drones to operate in the airspace and maintaining that commercial use of drones is illegal. The FAA sanctions the use of drones for non-commercial uses to allow people to fly drones as a hobby. (TechCrunch, March 7, 21014, by Frederic Lardinois)
Those using drones to report the news expect the FAA to enact an emergency rule that bans commercial drones. But the return to the status quo is seen as “untenable” and hope that the FAA will figure out a way to balance safety with legitimate use by journalists. (The Poynter Institute, March 7, 2014, by Jeremy Barr)
In the meantime, California’s Fresno Bee has begun testing a battery-powered drone to cover an array of newsworthy events including accidents, fires, and farm activity. The Bee wants to use drones instead of costly helicopters. (The Business Journal, March 11, 2014, by Chuck Harvey)