Commercial Drone Alliance 4085 Campbell Avenue, Suite 100 Menlo Park, CA 94025 555 Thirteenth Street, NW Washington, DC 20004-1109 www.commercialdronealliance.org
President-elect Donald J. Trump Trump Tower 725 5th Avenue New York, NY 10022 December 13, 2016 Dear President-elect Trump: Congratulations on a historic campaign. Your election comes at the dawn of an unprecedented new era in technology platforms. America is witnessing a renaissance in computing and robotics that promises to revolutionize the way we work, connect and even see the world. Of all these exciting advancements, perhaps none holds as much potential for doing good and advancing the country’s wealth and economic prosperity as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)—or commercial drones. UAS are remotely piloted, smart vehicles designed to respond to disasters, inspect crops and infrastructure, or deliver life-saving medicines—and those are just a few applications of the technology. There are literally thousands of ways drones can enhance commerce and promote safety. Indeed, many of the best applications for UAS have yet to be imagined. We are in the very early days of deploying UAS commercially on a broad scale. If we can overcome regulatory barriers, the potential held by UAS is unlimited. Estimates vary, but by all measures, the economic impact is enormous: a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers report estimated the global market value of UAS-powered solutions at more than $127 billion by 2020. Some have predicted that the U.S. share of the UAS industry will grow to be an estimated $82 billion market in four years, and create more than 100,000 new jobs here at home. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimates that by the new decade, 11 million commercial drones will have been sold in the United States alone. Under the legal framework in the U.S., commercial drones fly with the oversight of the FAA. This past August, Part 107 of the Federal Aviation Regulations took effect. For the first time ever, these rules broadly authorize commercial drone operations in the United States. This was a significant and critical step forward, but much work remains to be done to realize the full potential of drone technology. Sadly, however, the United States is playing catch-up to much of the rest of the world on commercial drones. This is where the incoming Trump Administration, with your focus on jobs, the economy and a free market, can take significant steps to enhance American competitiveness. We are at a critical time for
