U.S. Announces New Rules For Drones And Their Operators

Federal regulators have issued new guidelines allowing drones to operate at night and over people — a change in the rules that could expand the use of the machines for commercial deliveries.

The new rules from the Federal Aviation Administration will also require remote identification technology so that the machines can be identifiable from the ground. The FAA said this standard will address security concerns and make drones easier to track.

"These final rules carefully address safety, security and privacy concerns while advancing opportunities for innovation and utilization of drone technology," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao in a statement.

The final change, once in effect, will amend current policies that previously forbade drone operations over people and at night unless the FAA granted a waiver.

Drones represent the fastest-growing segment in the entire transportation sector – with currently over 1.7 million drone registrations and 203,000 FAA-certificated remote pilots, according to the agency.