Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Monday, January 28, 2019
Who Should Regulate Drones in Hawaii?
By Selected News Articles @ 5:11 PM :: 6580 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Law Enforcement, Small Business

Who should regulate drones?

by Gary Shapiro

Hawaii has long been at the forefront of aviation innovation. Today, a new kind of aviation technology is helping to save lives and natural resources in Hawaii: Drones.

After the Kīlauea volcano eruption, the Department of the Interior used drones to monitor lava advancement rates and provide directions to safely guide evacuations. National Tropical Botanical Garden conservationists also used drones to find the Laukahi plant, a critically endangered medicinal herb, in a 1,000-acre preserve.

Despite the use cases showing drones are changing our lives for the better, the Aloha State has introduced more drone-specific bills than any other state, much of them problematic. During the past three years alone, the state legislature introduced 29 bills concerning commercial and consumer drone operations, many of which overlap or conflict with current federal and state laws and rules.

Reactionary, technology-specific approaches to drones will stymie innovation and create confusion for companies and operators looking to use new technology in Hawaii. America needs a national, united front when it comes to drone innovation. Local rules that conflict with national ones threaten the growth of the entire U.S. drone industry, which the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ expects to surpass $1 billion in sales revenue this year, according to CTA’s 2019 Sales and Forecast report.

That’s why CTA – the owner and producer of CES®, the largest and most influential technology event in the world – brought together drone industry executives and government stakeholders to the Hawaii State Capitol on Thursday to discuss the latest drone innovations and their benefits to Hawaii. Representatives from major industry brand names including DJI and PrecisionHawk showed off their latest drone innovations to local, state and federal stakeholders this week in areas including public safety, natural resources and economic development.

Drones have the potential to become one of the most valuable breakthrough technologies of the future. In California alone, using small drones rather than diesel trucks to deliver packages would cut emissions by more than 50 percent. Drones are essential tools in the quick delivery of supplies and medicines, especially in times of natural disasters. Silicon Valley-based Zipline, in partnership with the UPS Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is using drones to deliver blood and medical supplies to Rwanda’s remote population. In Sweden, drones carry external defibrillators for fast delivery to people having heart attacks.

Drones are also doing valuable police work – documenting crime scenes, dealing with bombs and hazardous materials and helping in search and rescue operations. They can make airline travel safer by spotting debris on runways, and be used for better and more efficient crop production. Drones can even bring internet access to remote areas.

For the U.S. to remain a leader in drone technologies, the federal government and the drone industry must continue to work together on rules that strike a balance between innovation and safety. The federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over drone safety, flight altitudes, flight paths, no-fly zones and the policy framework for the drone industry to continue to expand. Earlier this month the Department of Transportation announced new rules to expand drone use at night and over people. With these new rules, the federal government is laying the building blocks for innovation which allow technology companies to grow. 

But local and state efforts to enact conflicting rules threaten the growth of America’s drone industry. Before considering any new drone bills this year, Hawaii’s state lawmakers should consider whether the bill is preempted, already addressed by existing laws or if a drone-specific bill is even warranted. Hawaii’s aviation legacy shouldn’t stop with manned flights. 

We’re only beginning to discover how drone innovations can change our lives for the better. But to continue growing - and delivering these benefits - the drone industry needs a regulatory landscape that supports both innovation and safety from the top down, not bottom up.

---30---

Gary Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, the U.S. trade association representing more than 2,200 consumer technology companies, and a New York Times best-selling author. His newest book is Ninja Future: Secrets to Success in the New World of Innovation. His views are his own.

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT