WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Mike Lee from Utah introduced a bill in Congress on October 16 to give property owners, state authorities and Native American tribes the right to regulate their airspace.<br /><br />The Drone Integration and Zoning Act is seeking to transfer airspace authority beneath 200 feet from the Federal Aviation Administration to local authorities, reports the Hill. <br /><br />Drones flying in airspace above 200 feet would still be under the authority of the FAA.<br /><br />The bill would essentially allow property owners and lander owners to own airspace up to 200 feet above their land in which low-flying drones would be prohibited from operating unless they have permission.<br /><br />Currently the FAA allows drones to operate at or below 400 feet.<br /><br />According to the Hill, Senator Lee had sponsored a similar bill in 2017, called the Drone Federalism Act. The bill failed to make it through its congressional committee.<br /><br />The FAA had previously stated in a 2015 factsheet that separate local and state jurisdiction over airspace would create a "patchwork quilt" and could severely limit the FAA in its ability in controlling the airspace and ensuring a safe and efficient traffic flow in the air.
