Transport committee  The example I would like to give regarding performance-based standards, Madam Chair, would be from the approach we took on the advisory committee concerning drone flights over people, which, except for the very lowest category, was a weight-based approach. We broke out categori

Transport committee  Our industry is focused on safety, and it shares that interest with the aviation community. We are participating as full partners in these regulatory dialogues with governments and we are focusing our industry's energies on innovating safety measures in this regard. I would str

Transport committee  In fact, Madam Chair, though you, we at the Consumer Technology Association are trying to uphold that broad spectrum of interest in drones, ranging from the kid who wants to play with the toy drone to more sophisticated commercial operations involving drones that are often on the

Transport committee  We're just getting involved in a more direct way with countries, regions, and jurisdictions outside the United States, Madam Chair. The policy environment is competitive, much like the industry. As you may have heard in earlier hearings, we're building a policy framework, and to

Transport committee  As I suggested in my remarks, there are a number of hardware and software technologies out there that support safe drone operations, whether it's guards for the props, geofencing, or return-to-home functions. There are low battery indicators so that you know when you're running o

Transport committee  Madam Chair, this is a little outside our purview. I know that we're not directly engaged, for example, in drone countermeasure research and development, but there is such R and D going on right now. Our U.S. Congress has been interested in this topic as well. There are private s

Transport committee  Through you, Madam Chair, I'll say this is understood. I think the geofencing technology is very important to showing you where you should not be flying. In fact, drones may not even take off in certain areas because of the software controls of geofencing. At the same time, our

Transport committee  I would like, Madam Chair, if there's interest, to submit for the record information about what's been done already. There's quite a lot of information that drone manufacturers provide with their products that helps educate consumers. Whether it's printed material or something

Transport committee  My industry colleague reminded me that at least one of our members already has a program with Transport Canada to provide information to that drone operator along with the drone in the packaging. I think a simple, straightforward, and online means of registration will facilitate

Transport committee  I would agree with Mr. Wilcox in at least a couple of these areas he flagged. We also agree that registration is very important. We got to the result we did on registration with the U.S. FAA through a collaborative process that included various stakeholders from aviation and the

Transport committee  What you're doing with these hearings is important, and getting the perspectives not only from companies in this growing industry but from other stakeholders that have a role in the aviation market is vital. Understanding where our technology is going is hard for all of us, but

Transport committee  Madam Chair, it is important to look at what's been accomplished, how it's working, and how it's been received by this market of diverse players. While I don't want to simply tell you to follow what they did south of the border, Transport Canada has taken a very considered approa

Transport committee  The reference to the 100,000 figure was from a study by AUVSI, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. Although I don't have the study in front of me, I do know it takes a very holistic look at this market and this technology. Understandably, those jobs are in

Transport committee  I would say that the most pressing issue is also probably an opportunity. I think you appreciate how quickly the technology is moving with drones and drone technology. At the same time, technology does offer solutions to some of these safety problems we've heard about. I think w

Transport committee  Madam Chair, the approach to classifying drones has varied depending on the regulation in question. With regard to drone registration, for example, there is an exemption for drones weighing less than 250 grams, which really captures a lot of what we would commonly consider to be