October 21, 2024

Bipartisan Committee Leaders Urge DOT & FAA to Advance Rule for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Drone Operations

Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) should move forward expeditiously with an overdue rulemaking providing for scaled, safe beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations in U.S. airspace, according to the bipartisan leaders and Members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Aviation Subcommittee.

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Garret Graves (R-LA), and Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Steve Cohen (D-TN) sent a letter with their T&I colleagues today to DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg and FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker.

The Members of Congress noted the importance of establishing a performance-based framework for BVLOS operations of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which became law on May 16, 2024, included a provision directing the FAA to do so, requiring the publication of a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) within four months of enactment and a final rule within twenty months of enactment.

“The deadline to issue an NPRM has passed, and it is now our understanding that the proposed rule may not be issued until January 2025, at the earliest. It is concerning the failure to comply with statutory instructions may also result in the delay of a final rule,” said the lawmakers in their letter.

The Committee Members noted that, although the FAA has provided waivers and exemptions for some BVLOS operations, the current process continues to stifle innovation with regulatory uncertainty and complexity.  The letter states, “A final rule released in accordance with Section 930 will help unlock the full benefits of BVLOS operations across local communities and our National economy, including in the public safety, medical, logistics, and agricultural industries. Furthermore, a timely rulemaking will build on years of work by the FAA, the industry, conventional airspace users, and other stakeholders to ensure the necessary standards and processes are in place to safely foster advanced drone operations into United States skies.”

Read the full letter here.