Movie & Television Industry Pressures FAA on Drones: MPAA Says it Will 'Enhance' the Viewer Experience
In what could be a significant relaxation of the agency's ban, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Monday that it was considering approving the use of drones by companies for both television and movie filming.
The unmanned aircraft, which currently faces a strict ban, may soon be used for aerial photography in an effort to make it easier, safer, and cheaper to take shots from a unique point of view.
Drones would give the television and movie industries an innovative option for filming, said Senior VP for the Motion Picture Association of America Neil Fried. He also added that this new tool would allow filmmakers to take exciting and creative aerial shots in an effort to widen the technological options already being utilized by the industry, something which he thinks will "further enhance the viewer experience."
The FAA already has initial standards that need to be complied with in order to receive an exemption. Companies have to show that, in operating their drones, safety would not be jeopardized, and that the use of drones would be in the interest of the public.
Several companies have already filed for such an exemption, according to the agency. However, only one exception has been made so far, which have been the flights over the Arctic Ocean just off the Alaskan coast made by the oil company Conoco Philips. Other than that, no commercial drone flights have been permitted within the country.
Congress and different industries have put the FAA under great pressure, according to ABC News, because allowing the use of drones would lessen the human involvement needed in dangerous manned aircraft missions. The agency has already been crafting the regulations for the use of drones but it would probably take months to years to finalize such regulations. The FAA says that there are many economic and practical concerns that must be taken into consideration including air traffic integration. It's a very complex business, especially when it comes to classifying the unmanned aircrafts. Despite these reasons, lawsuits have been filed challenging the ban.
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