I am the last person in the world who wants to stand in the way of innovation and people’s free access to amazing technology. I don’t think we need restrictive age requirements or a driver’s license for all drones, but I know firsthand, flying drones over the last year, that it's a complete Wild West out there. I have seen multiple people fly units hundreds of feet above crowded city streets, bordering on the distance where it was out of their line of sight. I’ve said to myself on more than one occasion, "Why isn’t this illegal?"
At some point, there will be a bad accident, as these things become more popular, more powerful, and ever cheaper. If that happens before effective laws are in place, there would be a media frenzy, perhaps followed by bad, knee-jerk legislation. There was some good news last week, when the head of the FAA said he hopes the new rules will be released before the end of this year. The FAA needs to act now, and if they don’t, Congress needs to force their hand or step in and craft new laws. I’m in love with the booming industry for consumer drone technology, which is why I’m so passionate about protecting it from itself.