Another useless government boondoggle.

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Drones weighing as little as eight ounces will have to be registered
with the FAA if the agency accepts recommendations of a 26-member
panel struck last month to design a registration scheme. The panel,
which included representatives from Amazon, Google, drone
manufacturers and aviation groups, delivered their recommendations to
the FAA Administrator Michael Huerta on Saturday. Although Huerta
didn't release details of the suggestions, it's pretty hard to get 26
people to keep a secret so elements of the proposal started leaking
out late last week.

The panel wants registration to be free and to be painlessly
accomplished online. Rather than register individual aircraft, the
group wants operators themselves to be registered so that multiple
drones can be listed under their names. It will be up to the FAA to
determine the penalties that will apply to those who don't comply but
analysts worry that because the vast majority of hobby users are
unfamiliar with aviation regulations that compliance will be slow to
start. Aviation groups were adamant that the drones fit into the
existing system and that manned aviation not give up any airspace
access to accommodate them. Huerta has promised a quick turnaround on
the new rules because the FAA wants the rules in place before an
estimated 700,000 drones end up as presents over the coming holidays.