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G A O U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE
441 G St. N.W.
Washington, DC 20548
B-330570
September 16, 2020
The Honorable Roger Wicker
Chairman
The Honorable Maria Cantwell
Ranking Member
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
United States Senate
The Honorable Peter A. DeFazio
Chairman
The Honorable Sam Graves
Ranking Member
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
House of Representatives
The Honorable Frank Pallone, Jr.
Chairman
The Honorable Greg Walden
Ranking Member
Committee on Energy and Commerce
House of Representatives
Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Current Jurisdictional, Property, and Privacy Legal Issues
Regarding the Commercial and Recreational Use of Drones
Introduction and Overview
The commercial and recreational use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)-commonly known
as drones-has the potential to provide significant social and economic benefits in the United
States. Recognizing this potential, in 2012, Congress directed the Department of
Transportation (DOT) to develop a plan for the safe integration of civil (non-government) UAS
into the national airspace system. By the same legislation-the FAA Modernization and Reform
Act of 2012 (FMRA)l-and subsequent acts,2 Congress directed DOT to conduct rulemakings
and other activities to carry out this safe integration. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),
which has declared that [d]rones ... are fundamentally changing aviation and that it is
1 FAA Modernization and ReformAct of 2012 (FMRA), Pub. L. No. 112-95, § 332, 126 Stat. 11 (2012).
2 See, e.g., FAA Extension, Safety, and SecurityAct of 2016, Pub. L. No. 114-190, 130 Stat. 615 (2016); FAA
Reauthorization Act of 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-254, 132 Stat. 3186 (2018 FAA Reauthorization Act). See also
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year2018, Pub. L. No. 115-91, § 1092(d), 131 Stat. 1283, 1610-1611
(2017).](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.gao/gaobaebsc0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)