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Concerns over public safety and security leave FAA's panel split on how to track drones

THE use of drones for commercial purposes, including package delivery to people's homes, has suffered a major setback as a panel of industry and law enforcement officials has failed to reach agreement on how authorities should track civilian drones.

The advisory committee, established earlier this year by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), couldn't reach consensus on key issues, such as what type of drone models should be subject to radio tracking, according to two people familiar with the deliberations. A majority of members on the committee didn't sign on to its final report, which was submitted to the FAA last week.

The panel was split along many fronts, with hobbyists, police groups and different parts of the rapidly growing drone industry taking opposing positions, the people said, who asked not to be identified, reported Bloomberg.

The panel's work also comes as the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the first case of a drone colliding in mid-air last month with an army helicopter that resulted in damage to one of the helicopter's rotors.

The FAA panel's breakdown is a setback for the industry, which is experiencing rapid growth but still largely prevented from flying devices over people or beyond the sight of an operator.

Finding a way to satisfy the objections of federal and local law enforcement groups, which worry that growing civilian drone operations could become a security and public safety mess, is critical to expanding operations for the unmanned industry.

The FAA has said since last year it plans to release a proposal to allow drone flights over people, but the process is on hold because of objections from law enforcement agencies.

Some sort of tracking system is also critical for companies like Amazon.com and Alphabet Inc's X, which want to use automated drones to deliver retail goods to people's houses. Both companies have said that all drones operating in areas with delivery flights should have to broadcast their identity and position to ensure safety.

"The FAA will review the advisory committee's report and its findings carefully," the agency said in an emailed statement.

In addition to incidents in which unauthorised drones have interfered with law enforcement and firefighters, there has been growing use of small consumer drones by overseas terrorist groups, such as the Islamic State in Syria, and agencies fear such attacks could occur domestically.