New law reinstates small drone registration in the US
Back in December 2015, the FAA announced that drone owners had to register any device over 0.55 pounds. The new rule was actually championed by big tech companies like Amazon and Google, and by drone industry players like Intel and DJI. Sensible regulations, they argued, would pave the way for faster growth of the industry overall.
But lots of consumers, especially veteran hobbyists who had decades of experience flying RC aircraft under their belt, were upset. One drone owner took the FAA to court, arguing that Congress had already decided the FAA had no jurisdiction over toy aircraft. In May of this year, a federal appeals court struck down the registration requirement.
The registration rule got a second life today, when it was signed...