Google's Solar-Drone Internet Tests About To Take Off

itwbennett writes Titan Aerospace, the drone-maker acquired last year by Google to help realize the company's ambitious plans to provide Internet access to remote areas via solar-powered drones, recently applied for and received two licenses from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to run tests over the next six months. The licenses, which are valid from March 8 until September 5, don’t give away much because Google has asked the FCC to keep many of the details confidential for commercial reasons, but they reveal the tests will take place inside a 1,345 square kilometer (520 square mile) area to the east of Albuquerque. The area includes the town of Moriarty, where Titan Aerospace is headquartered and conducts its research and development work.

That is until the FAA shuts them down

[burtosis]

This seems to me like the best option for delivering high speed internet in remote areas, but I can't help but think the FAA will shut them down at every opportunity. They can probably only do the tests there because of pre-existing FAA agreements. When will the FAA get off its ass and move into the 21st century? The recent legislation is a good start - going after some guy who made less than a dollar off youtube is sheer stupidity.

Re:That is until the FAA shuts them down

[JoeMerchant]

I don't see the FAA shutting Google down on this one. Google will get the appropriate licenses, jump through the appropriate hoops, and generally just do a bunch of stuff that most people or companies aren't capable of doing so that the FAA will say "OK Google, go ahead."

This is assuming that Google's plans are for something like a very small number of solar powered drones that are operating at an altitude that doesn't conflict with established traffic patterns, can be marked on navigational maps, include some kind of beacon to warn other aircraft of their operation, etc. Like radio towers, except I imagine a solar powered drone would try to fly above the clouds.

It's a win-win, Google gets to research and maybe 5 years in the future deploy some operations in remote areas. FAA gets to point at Google as an example of how they are letting people "do drones" in non-military US airspace, and still keeps a stranglehold on "unregulated" drone operations.

Because, really, it is starting to look like the FAA has heavily invested their personal assets in overseas drone manufacturers and they want to keep US businesses, especially the small startups, out of competition with them.

Re:

[burtosis]

You are spouting too much straight forward common sense for me to have much hope. The FAA seems to shut down everyone for little to no reason and takes many years or decades to pass anything. Drones became popular around 2000 and the FAA rules on them in 2014.

Re:

[kheldan]

At what altitude will these operate? What is their operational ceiling? What safeguards against hacking/hijacking of their navigational systems will be in place? How resistant will they be to atmospheric conditions knocking them out of position? Will they have onboard redundant systems to protect against system faults causing them to move out of their designated position? I assume they're going to use GPS; how resistant to GPS hacking, being one avenue by which these drones may be hijacked, will they be? Wi

Re:

[burtosis]

I have no objections to any of those concerns. What i object to is the FAA not getting off their ass and actually working them out. The FAA has a long history of ignoring new tech, and stubbornly ignoring any discourse, rather than working through the issues and making the world a better place.

Re:

[kheldan]

How do any of us know what is happening at the FAA behind closed doors? Do people expect them to have a Twitter account and tweet every little thing they're doing?

Outrageous!

[fustakrakich]

Why would we ever allow a commercial license to be confidential, withheld from public scrutiny?? Absolutely shameful...

Ads in the sky!

[GrahamJ]

I can't help but think of those planes that fly banner ads over cities.

I guess if people don't mind using an operating system from the world's largest ad network they're probably ok with getting internet from them, too.

Solar drone internet

[rossdee]

That's OK for people who only use the internet in the daytime...

Re:

[DanielRavenNest]

Hey, uninformed person, these drones have lithium batteries, and sunlight is more powerful at high altitude due to less atmospheric absorption. So it can fly for years or until something breaks.