Professor Gregory McNeal Quoted in "How Should States, Local Areas Prepare for Drone Deliveries?" -- Government Technology

Professor Gregory McNeal is quoted in the Government Technology article, "How Should States, Local Areas Prepare for Drone Deliveries?" The article considers the Federal Aviation Administration's  dominant say on the nation's entire airspace. When it comes to drone deliveries, this level of regulatory power may have negative ramifications for states and local areas.

Excerpt from "How Should States, Local Areas Prepare for Drone Deliveries?"

"Unfortunately, it appears that the federal government is poised to take the position that they're going to control all of this, that they believe they have it all under control and that there will not be any problems that the FAA won't be able to handle themselves," said Gregory McNeal, a law and public policy professor at Pepperdine University.

Given that no one in the country can identify a drone at random, one can perhaps understand the FAA's caution about ceding power. But McNeal suspects the drone delivery industry will grind to a halt if regulations don't evolve. His prediction is that as the number of drone deliveries increases, the FAA will become overwhelmed by citizen outrage and complaints about noise, nuisances and trespassing.

McNeal advises states and local areas to immediately engage with Congress, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the FAA. Failure to do so could have unfortunate consequences.

"If they wait, it appears like the DOJ and DOT are going to issue guidance at the end of this year that's going to take away their rights," McNeal warned. "They need to act or they'll find themselves on the receiving end of a legal opinion that will constrain their rights."

The complete article may be found here