U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx announced the formation of a task force to recommend safety-based registration requirements for unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS”) in the coming weeks. The recommendations will address whether any aircraft, such as toys or other small UAS, should be exempt from registration requirements because they pose a low safety risk, and what streamlining measures may be appropriate for commercial UAS operators.

In light of the proliferation of UAS generally, along with a rapid increase in reports of potentially unsafe UAS operations near large sports events and flights near manned aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) believes a registration system will increase the safety of the national airspace by making UAS and their operators identifiable. FAA will also continue its existing outreach and education efforts, including its “Know before you Fly” campaign and “No Drone Zone” programs.