C hris Estes, North Carolina’s chief information officer, recently spoke to the N.C. General Assembly about the possibility of creating a board to regulate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) otherwise known as drones . While the budget is extremely tight for the upcoming session, the General Assembly should seriously consider funding the project.
North Carolina is not alone in its exploration of drones. Thirteen other states have enacted laws and 11 others have passed resolutions that manage drones . North Carolina should look to these states to see if any of their regulations are applicable to NC.
A drone board would also have the ability of investigating and further discussing issues relating to individuals’ privacy . The use of drones has prompted many to believe that they have the potential infringe upon this.
A drone board would be able to work to ensure that North Carolinians’ right to privacy is still protected and paramount. Additionally, a board would act as a check to make sure that the use of drones and their capabilities are not exploited and used illegally.
Although there are many potential drawbacks for the use of drones, there are also potential benefits. Farmers could use drones to capture images of their fields to learn about their crops’ health and potential yields .
Another possible benefit is that UAS can be used to capture pictures that show the scope and scale of natural disasters . They have the capability of going to places that other sources of technology cannot reach safely, especially those manned by humans.
The state is facing tough economic times but this should not diminish the fact that technology is constantly changing, and it is the state’s responsibility to keep up with the changes to protect its citizens and work to enable that technology to be fully utilized.
