WASHINGTON, December 4 (Sputnik) – US Senator Dianne Feinstein will introduce a bill, aimed to protect US plane passengers by improving drone safety laws in the country, the California senator's office has announced.
"It is my intent to introduce legislation to codify and expand the moratorium on private drone use without specific authority from the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] that is already in place," Feinstein said in a letter to the FAA Wednesday.
"I urge you [FAA], to vigorously enforce safety laws and regulations against the unsafe operation of drones and to warn operators about the potential hazards and consequences of their reckless behavior," Feinstein stressed, adding that the FAA is "responsible for the safety of the airspace" and must solve the problem of "untrained individuals" operating "inexpensive drones" "before an airliner is brought down".
The FAA is responsible for regulating the US airspace, which includes setting rules for domestic drone use. Feinstein's legislation would impose felony penalties on dangerous drone operators and would require additional safety guidelines before private drone use in the United States is expanded.
The US Senator's bill follows more than 190 cases that have been reported in 2014 to the FAA on domestic drone incidents including mid-air collisions with passenger planes.
