US Government said to be announcing all new drones must be registered in national database

It was only a matter of time.

According to a report from NBC News, the US government will be announcing today that it is mandatory for all purchasers of drones, be them for personal or commercial use, to register their unmanned aerial vehicle.

First announced via a tweet from NBC’s Tom Costello, the Department of Transportation (DoT) is said to be announcing the plan today, with the goal of having the registry in place before the holiday season. However, neither the White House or DoT has confirmed there will be a press conference on the matter.

 

Screenshot of the tweet from Tom Costello (Twitter's embed feature wasn't working at the time of posting this article)

This registry platform is reported to be lead by what Costello referred to as a ‘taskforce’ that includes the biggest players in the industry, presumably including DJI and others.

This news comes just a week after the FAA handed out the largest drone-related fine ever to SkyPan, a Chicago-based commercial drone company, for illegally flying their drones in both Chicago and New York City. It also comes on the heels of both the FAA and local law enforcement calling for more strict regulation of drones.

As noted by The Verge, the FAA has also announced its own ambitions to create drone regulations but says they might not be ready for implementation until 2017.

We’ll see if there’s an announcement on the matter today. Regardless, it appears there is indeed an effort on multiple levels to regulate the usage of drones.

UPDATE: The Washington Post has reported that federal regulators have officially made a statement that they are indeed working on a 'task force composed of government officials and industry representatives to devise the new registration system'. A press conference will be held later this afternoon to further discuss the details.

(via The Verge)