Former FCC chair backs ‘ATC for drones’

WASHINGTON - AN ‘ATC FOR DRONES’: After decades of experience in the telecommunications sector, Wheeler is turning (some of) his attention to drones. Wheeler, who was FCC chairman during the Obama administration, recently joined the board of AirMap, which is building a platform for drone air traffic management. He linked up with MT recently to talk tech and the future of airspace, reports Sam Mintz for Politico's Morning Transport. Continue reading original article

The Intelligent Aerospace take:

July 16, 2019-Wheeler noted, said Mintz, that the technology exists to "marry" the identification of the UAS with GPS to better control flight of unmanned systems in common airspace. Wheeler suggested that the FAA develop "sandboxes" to test ideas for UAS ATC.

“That kind of digital era thinking, I think, would greatly help the unmanned vehicle process move forward. … One of the challenges that you have as a regulator in a digital era is to say OK, how do I adapt digital concepts into the job that was created in an analog era,” Wheeler said.

Related: FAA establishes restrictions of UAS flights over numerous Dept. of Justice, Dept of Defense facilities

Related: EU Council gives EASA authority over UAV, aviation cybersecurity development

Related: A look at the current and future risks, safety considerations, and regulations for drones

Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace