Drones Coming To CNN, Thanks To FCC Agreement

Chances are you’ve seen the influx of beautiful (and viral) video footage captured by drones. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly dotting the skies and impacting everything from agriculture to shipping to how the military operates. And soon, drones might be bringing you the news, too.

Today, CNN announced an agreement with the FAA to “advance efforts” to incorporate UAVs into its reporting operations. The deal follows a growing number of new organizations turning to drones for research efforts; the technology is not only inexpensive and now nearly ubiquitous, but also an efficient and safe way to provide media outlets with aerial imagery, whether in war zones, disaster areas, and so forth.

“Our aim is…to establish what options are available and workable to produce high quality video journalism using various types of UAVs and camera setups,” CNN SVP David Vigilante said in a statement. “Our hope is that these efforts contribute to the development of a vibrant ecosystem where operators of various types and sizes can safely operate in the US airspace.”

The wording of Vigilante’s statement is interesting given that the FAA has previously been outspoken about the fact that drones should be for hobbyists only—which suggested to some that any plans to roll out comprehensive UAV regulation for the commercial sector might be years away, despite companies like Amazon heavily pushing for it.

[via The Verge]