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US drone regulations could affect Starbucks and Amazon deliveries

The U.S. Transportation Department has proposed new rules that will speed up the deployment of drones outside of operators' visual line of vision. This is a crucial change to help advance commercial uses such as package delivery.

At a Tuesday press conference, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated: "We will unleash American drone dominance."

Under the current rules, operators must get waivers or exemptions from using drones that do not have a visual line of site. The Department said that eliminating these requirements would "significantly expand the use of drone technologies" in areas such as manufacturing, farming and energy production.

The proposal contains new requirements for drone manufacturers, operators and traffic-management services in order to separate drones from airplanes and other drones.

Duffy explained that drones could be used to deliver Amazon packages, or even Starbucks cups of coffee.

The industry needs this rule so that they can make use of this technology, which will allow them to run their business more efficiently.

Amazon began testing drone deliveries at two locations in Texas, Arizona and California earlier this year. Amazon aims to deliver 500 million packages per year by drone by 2030.

According to the proposal, the Federal Aviation Administration has approved pre-designated sites where operations could take place at or below 400 feet.

Operators will identify the boundaries, approximate landing areas, takeoff zones and daily flight routes. They'll also ensure that procedures are followed if drone communications fail.

Drones should yield to any manned aircraft that broadcasts their position, and they shouldn't interfere with airport operations.

Transportation Security Administration will require flight coordinators, among others, to get a security threat assessment and fingerprint-based criminal records check.

Many state officials and lawmakers have expressed concern about the use of drones to target high-profile U.S. sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup.

Michael Robbins, CEO of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, praised the proposal for being "a crucial step towards enabling drone operations which will enhance safety, transform services and strengthen public security with drones." (Reporting and editing by Franklin Paul, Emelia Sithole Matarise, and David Shepardson)

(source: Reuters)