In a panel that included the FAAâs Marke âHootâ Gibson and Matt Hancock, Britainâs digital minister, Misener said that it would be best to have globally consistent commercial drone regulations, though variations between large regions â like between Europe and Asia â wouldnât be problematic.
âWhere it would be a problem,â Misener was quoted as saying, âis if Texas had a rule that Arkansas didnât or if Belgium had a rule that France didnât. Here in the U.S., weâve seen a proliferation of state bills that could affect the ability of entrepreneurs or larger enterprises to conduct business across state borders, and that makes no sense at all. The FAA has been in charge of the airspace for safety…. For states to step in at this point would be a real problem.â
The panel discussion took place as Washington state legislators geared up to consider a bill which could limit or potentially even ban unauthorized drone flights over private property â the sixth time such a bill has been proposed in the past two years in Washington, noted GeekWire.
While current FAA regulations have limited Amazon’s ability to test drone delivery stateside, Amazon has started a small, private drone delivery trial in the U.K. While itâs a little too late to be the first (you win this round, 7-Eleven), slow and steady wins the race.
Amazon is currently working with only two lucky shoppers near its first Prime Air fulfillment center in Cambridge, U.K., who can now order their goods by drone. Amazon plans to eventually expand this trial to hundreds of shoppers who live within a few miles of its first Prime Air fulfillment center. The first Prime Air delivery took place on December 7, 2016, and took 13 minutes.