The laws already changed to give them these powers - the 2012 FAA Modernization Act authorizes the FAA to make rules about UAS.
However, the FAA's rulemaking abilities are limited by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and they haven't made any yet.
So, even if the FAA's appeal fails, there will be a very short window (probably a year or less) before drones are explicitly regulated on less shaky footing.
> The laws already changed to give them these powers - the 2012 FAA Modernization Act authorizes the FAA to make rules about UAS.
So claims the FAA. I can't make my way through the text of the law, nor can I find any legal summary or analysis other than the FAA's own claim that it gives them the authority to regulate UAS.
Let me save you the trouble.
As a lawyer, familiar with reading legislative text, it clearly requires them to do rulemaking about UAS, and grants them the authority to do so.
The FAA's goal in life is to ensure safety in the air. Drones are obviously within their field of interest. When commercial drones take off, there will obviously be a lot more drones in the air than the recreational drones and toy aircraft now, since there is a lot of money to be made, while comparatively few people fly things for a hobby.
If that was the intent they would be putting rules in place to prevent people from getting hurt not outright banning them which is what their doing now.
This looks more like a move to kill an industry before it takes off if you pardon my pun.
Not to mention there's nothing to regulate at the moment no people have been hurt by drones and there's very few companies actually looking into them.
So the next logical question is who would loose money if commercial drone delivery services become the norm?
However, the FAA's rulemaking abilities are limited by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and they haven't made any yet.
So, even if the FAA's appeal fails, there will be a very short window (probably a year or less) before drones are explicitly regulated on less shaky footing.