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Federal Government To Start Requiring Drone Registration

(CBS/AP) - The federal government will begin tracking your drones. A source told the Associated Press on Monday the government will require registration of drones to help track operators who flout safety rules.

The FAA signed an agreement last month with CACI International Inc., an information technology company in Arlington, Virginia, to test technology that could locate the operators of small drones. This announcement comes after FAA officials said this month they are receiving multiple reports daily of drones flying in the vicinity of airports and airplanes. Between November 2014 and August 2015, the FAA received over 700 reports by pilots of drone sightings, although questions have been raised about whether some reports involved birds mistaken for drones. Most of the flights appear to be unauthorized.

Hobbyists are allowed to fly drones as long as they stay 5 miles away from an airport and fly no higher than 400 feet. The FAA has granted about 1,700 permits to commercial operators with similar restrictions. The forest service reported 18 unauthorized drone flights above or near wildfires, and that 10 of the incidents hampered aerial fire-fighting operations.

The technology would let the government track radio signals used to operate drones within a 5-mile radius and identify the operator's location.

Drone enthusiasts say getting every person, including children, out there to follow this new federal law is going to be difficult.

"The Pandora's box is open — it's out. You can't get them back in," said drone enthusiast Bill Welch. "And all these kids are going to be getting them for Christmas this year. They're supposed to register every one of these little things that come in a cereal box? I don't think it's going to happen."

California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed bills earlier this month aimed at even tighter restriction on where you can fly drones, which some say are a violation of privacy.

One bill would have made it an infraction for people to fly drones over public schools when classes are in session. Exceptions could be made for law enforcement, news media and people with a school's permission. Another would have given firefighters immunity for disabling hobbyist drones flying over emergency situations. The third would have made it a misdemeanor to intentionally fly a drone over a prison or jail.

In his veto message, Gov. Brown stated California's criminal code, with more than 5,000 laws on the books, already has become too complex without adding more laws that he says would provide little benefit to the public.

The feds are expected to have the drone registry in place for the holidays. The Consumer Electronics Association has forecast that 700,000 drones will be sold this holiday season.

(TM and © Copyright 2010 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or Redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

 

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