May 10, 2018

Trump administration selects cities to test drones

A drone flies during a media demonstration by the Los Angeles Fire Department in Los Angeles. Photo: Ronen Tivony/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday announced the selection of 10 cities for a pilot project aimed at testing different varieties of drones to ultimately establish future regulations on permanent deployments.

Why it matters, per Axios' Kim Hart: The FAA's pilot program is a big step for the industry wanting to test drones in different real-world settings to figure out how to fly at night, over houses and beyond the line of sight under controlled conditions.

Recipients of the projects:

City of Reno, Nevada
City of San Diego, California
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Authority (Virginia Tech)
Kansas Department of Transportation
Lee County (Florida) Mosquito Control District
Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority
North Carolina Department of Transportation
North Dakota Department of Transportation
University of Alaska-Fairbanks

Go deeper with Quartz for details on the 10 pilot programs selected; Demand for drones is exploding

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