CNN in partnership with Georgia Tech Research Institute will conduct a research that will assist the FAA programme develop rules about using drones for news gathering.
“Our aim is to get beyond hobby-grade equipment and to establish what options are available and workable to produce high quality video journalism,” said David Vigilante, CNN’s senior vice president of legal.
The FAA has restricted drone use in the United States out of fear that they could come in contact with airplanes. Drones could also cause damage or injury by falling out of the sky.
So far, there is no drone pilot licenses, and several drones have come close to making contact with planes. As a result, the FAA has set up a handful of largely uninhabited regions across the country where people can test out drones for commercial use. Currently, the agency only allows certain lightweight drones for commercial flights of up to 400 feet.
But the FAA is expected to soften some of the rules this year, as drone technology become more commonplace. Drones can be used in search and rescue operations, and they can be flown into dangerous areas to broadcast news to the public.
Several other companies are making big investments in drones include:
- Facebook is hiring people for its drone team.
- Amazon has said it wants to use drones to deliver small packages over short distances.
- Google acquired Titan Aerospace, which makes high-altitude, solar-powered drones.