FAA picks 6 states for drone testing sites

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The Hill:

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday announced that it will create a network of testing sites across the U.S. for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), better known as “drones."

 

The testing sites, in Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas and Virginia, will be a crucial step toward the commercial use of drones over U.S. airspace, which currently remains unauthorized. The FAA announced in November that it hopes to establish guidelines for commercial usage by the end of 2015.

Though currently a province of the military and law enforcement, both businesses and local governments have shown some interest in domestic drone usage. Most prominently, Internet retailer Amazon Inc. turned heads earlier this month when it announced tentative plans to deliver parcels to buyers via unmanned drones.

The six states chosen will allow the FAA to test across a wide variety of climates, and the New York site will look into safely incorporating drones into the crowded airspace of the Northeast.