The undersigned organizations respectfully request that the Office of Management Budget (“OMB”)’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (“OIRA”) promptly conduct and complete the interagency review process for U.S. Department of Transportation’s (“DOT”) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) on Normalizing Unmanned Aircraft Systems Beyond Visual Line of Sight Operations (“BVLOS Rule”). Our organizations represent a wide range of stakeholders that would significantly benefit from a timely and effective BVLOS final rule. The BVLOS Rule would satisfy Congress’ directive in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, unlock the substantial benefits of drone technology to society and the economy, and advance the Trump Administration’s deregulatory objectives.
Section 930 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 required the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) to issue an NPRM within four months of enactment and finalize a rule within 16 months after publishing the NPRM in the Federal Register. Last Fall, the BVLOS Rule underwent interagency review at OMB but unfortunately the NPRM was not completed. The Trump administration, therefore, has an opportunity to restart the interagency process and produce an NPRM in a timely fashion to meet the FAA Reauthorization Act’s deadline for the final rule.
The BVLOS Rule will provide substantial economic and societal benefits to the American public. FAA’s current restrictions on BVLOS operations significantly limit how drones can be utilized. Allowing for routinized BVLOS operations will strengthen economic competitiveness through enabling new business models, bolstering productivity, and establishing economic opportunities for small businesses. For example, routinized drone delivery operations would allow a small business to access new consumers and give consumers a new opportunity to get deliveries faster and more efficiently. Drones can also be used to quickly inspect and build infrastructure, thereby reducing project delivery costs, increasing safety for workers, and providing services to local communities more quickly. Further, finalizing a BVLOS Rule creates certainty for the American drone industry, which will allow them to compete globally and help ensure American leadership in this critical technology. The issuance of an NPRM would send a powerful market signal in support of this goal.
Advancing the BVLOS Rule will also be consistent with the Administration’s deregulatory objectives. Executive Order 14219, Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President's “Department of Government Efficiency” Deregulatory Initiative, directs agencies to review and identify regulations for elimination or revision that meet certain criteria. One such criterion is “regulations that impose significant costs upon private parties that are not outweighed by public benefits.”[1] Current FAA regulations require drone operators to seek a waiver or exemption from the FAA’s Part 107 rules if the operator wanted to conduct BVLOS operations, which inhibits deployment of valuable BVLOS operations.[2] While the FAA has issued many BVLOS waivers and exemptions, a case-by-case approach is unsustainable as those processes are costly, time-consuming, and cumbersome for applicants. A final BVLOS Rule will provide a single, nationwide standard to allow for safe BVLOS operations, which reduces costs for industry while maintaining a high standard of aviation safety.
The BVLOS Rule will enable important technological innovation as current regulatory requirements “harm the national interest by significantly and unjustifiably impeding technological innovation…”[3] And because the BVLOS Rule is a deregulatory action, it contributes to the goals of Executive Order 14192, Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation, which requires any new regulation to be offset by rescinding ten new regulations and reduce to overall regulatory burden on the American public.[4]
To unlock new business models, increase business efficiency, improve worker safety, and create substantial consumer benefits, we urge the administration to finalize a BVLOS Rule. We appreciate OMB’s attention to this matter, and please reach out to Matt Furlow at mfurlow@uschamber.com if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers
American Petroleum Institute
Association of American Railroads
Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International
CTIA – The Wireless Association
Edison Electric Institute
IAAPA – The Global Association for the Attractions Industry
Interstate Natural Gas Association of America
Motion Picture Association
National Retail Federation
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association
National Association of Manufacturers
National Press Photographers Association
National Retail Federation
NCTA – The Internet and Television Association
The Small UAV Coalition
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
cc: The Honorable Russell Vought, Director, Office of Management and Budget
The Honorable Sean Duffy, Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation
The Honorable Christopher Rocheleau, Acting Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration
The Honorable Kristi Noem, Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
The Honorable Pam Bondi, Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice
The Honorable Marco Rubio, Acting National Security Advisor, Executive Office of the President
[1] Exec. Off. of the President, Exec. Ord. 14219, Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President's “Department of Government Efficiency” Deregulatory Initiative (2025).
[2]See 14 C.F.R. Part 107.200; 49 U.S.C. § 44807.
[3] Exec. Off. of the President, Exec. Ord. 14192, Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation(2025).
[4]Id.
