Senate Bill Raises Concerns of Scope of Federal Regulation of Non-Commercial Drone Use

To what extent should drone activity be regulated by the federal government?  That is the question being raised today by commentators in response to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation's approval of the Federal Aviation Administration ("FAA") reauthorization bill (S. 2658).  On one hand, the bill sets a two year time period for the FAA to create a set of rules that would allow for the commercial use of delivery drones--something that certain prominent members of the e-commerce community have been lobbying for.  On the other hand, however, the bill would require drone manufacturers to obtain manufacturing approval for each make and model of drones placed into interstate commerce, which is raising alarms to proponents of the consumer aviation community, who fear that hobbyists and student drone operators are going to be severely restricted from the operation of drones.  Attached is an article by a Forbes commentator who articulates the concerns of the non-commercial drone operators:

Senate Bill Could Ground Home-Built Drones; No Exceptions For Hobbyists Or Students