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US Proposes New Drone Rules That Could Lead To Starbucks, Amazon Deliveries (reuters.com) 69

Posted by msmash from the don't-look-up dept.
The U.S. Transportation Department is proposing new rules to speed deployment of drones beyond the visual line of sight of operators, a key change needed to advance commercial uses like package deliveries. From a report: "We are going to unleash American drone dominance," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Under current rules, operators need to get individual waivers or exemptions to use drones without visual line of sight. The department said eliminating those requirements "will significantly expand the use-case for drone technologies in areas like: manufacturing, farming, energy production, filmmaking, and the movement of products including lifesaving medications."

The proposal includes new requirements for manufacturers, operators, and drone traffic-management services to keep drones safely separated from other drones and airplanes. "It's going to change the way that people and products move throughout our airspace... so you may change the way you get your Amazon package, you may get a Starbucks cup of coffee from a drone," Duffy said.

US Proposes New Drone Rules That Could Lead To Starbucks, Amazon Deliveries More | Reply

US Proposes New Drone Rules That Could Lead To Starbucks, Amazon Deliveries

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  • Whenever there is a new technology, people emerge from various crevices to block it and ruin the party for everyone else. I recall when we started having horse driven carriages, a lot of people got pretty angry at the idea we'd have animals dragging people around shitting all over the place.

    • Sure but the personal and societal utility of the automobile was undeniable. A lot of the complaints against automobiles at the time and today were quite true but the downsides didn't approach the upsides, easy choice.

      Here it's not so simple. Do I trust a computer controlled circular saw to come inside my property, near my person and family, built and operated by the lowest bidder so I can get an item at a more profitable cost to the seller?

      I am being hyperbolic in my description but still, we should judg

      • "computer controlled circular saw" --- seriously? Given there have been millions of these things in the air now, how many people have died by drone in a non-combat situation? And btw, have you seen a delivery drone? It would take a hell of freak accident that evades multiple independent failure modes (motor cutoff fail, parachute failure, etc) to cause a death. The blades aren't metal btw, I doubt it could get through bone.

        • Here's one: a 7 year old required open heart surgery as a result of a falling drone. https://www.theguardian.com/us... [theguardian.com] to WESH 2 News,open-heart surgery on Sunday.

        • That's the drone operates case to make then is my point.

          "Something is low risk now so we should allow more of it" is not the same argument as "this provides so much social utility that we should allow it" and in fact I would say it's far weaker.

          I have yet to hear a compelling argument to the latter except in cases where time really is critical such as medical deliveries.

    • Re:People will oppose this (Score:4, Informative)

      by SlashbotAgent ( 6477336 ) on Tuesday August 05, 2025 @05:02PM (#65568522)

      There is no new technology. This is strictly a rule change.

      Under present rules the pilots of Unmanned Aircraft System(UAS), a.k.a. drones, must maintain visual contact with the vehicle in order to operate legally. There have been a few waivers issued for testing and experimenting, but the general rule has remained. Under the proposed rule change, UAS will be permitted to operate out of pilot's sight.

      We have had fully autonomous flight since nearly the beginning. Lots of flights on YouTube, in less restrictive air spaces and some just rule breakers , where the drone flies 15Km, does something and returns, fully automated. No pilot control and no sight after about 500 feet. But, right now, in the U.S. this type of flight is not generally permitted.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by jythie ( 914043 )
        The big question will be how this rule change dovetails with liability.... which we can guess the answer to that... people who make money should not be bothered with the cost of their actions after all.

      • Presumably this is going to clear the way for flocks of drone snoops to watch everything we do when away from a screen.

    • Re:People will oppose this (Score:5, Insightful)

      by ctrlshift ( 2616337 ) on Tuesday August 05, 2025 @05:02PM (#65568524) Homepage
      It's me. I will oppose this. I do not want loud buzzing machines flying around my neighborhood whenever someone feels like a coffee. Neither do the birds at my feeder or the butterflies at my flowers.

      • Re:People will oppose this (Score:5, Insightful)

        by rogoshen1 ( 2922505 ) on Tuesday August 05, 2025 @05:22PM (#65568568)

        A voice of reason amongst a chorus of starry eyed tech enthusiasts who completely lack the ability to see beyond first order effects. Just because something is convenient and novel doesn't make it a good idea.

      • It's me. I will oppose this. I do not want loud buzzing machines flying around my neighborhood whenever someone feels like a coffee. Neither do the birds at my feeder or the butterflies at my flowers.

        I can't find any clips, but there are few scenes in the Amazon series "Upload" depicting *numerous* delivery drones flying all over the place. Many are carrying Amazon boxes and (I think) there are even some Starbucks drones. It's noisy and actually a bit unsettling, though fits with the satirical dystopian tech future of the comedy.

      • How do you know how loud it will be? The Zipline ones stay 100s of feet above ground and tether down the package. Put in a noise ordinance instead of a drone ban. We know you guys don't care about the noise and just oppose people getting deliveries.

        • I honestly just don't want to see them flying all over the place. I get there could be many benefits to drone delivery. There's no doubt of that. I just worry about the effects on nature and to repeat myself, really just don't want to see them flying all over the place.

          Maybe, as you say, they will stay quite high up and can tether something down, and it overall won't be very disturbing to anyone beyond what a delivery person would cause.

      • I'm pretty sure these drones will be quieter than your neighbor's lawn mower.

      • You and 7 billion other people can oppose this and it will still occur. Have you not noticed the extreme concentration of 'power' over the past 50+ years? Normally, I say, "you don't matter", but apparently, people are taking it as a value judgement from me and against them. So let me rephrase it to be more clear, the individual does not matter. You do not matter. I do not matter. Only money (representation of power) matters.

        • people are taking it as a value judgement from me

          You do not matter. I do not matter. Only money (representation of power) matters.

          They are right to do so. Your claim is that money should overrule the needs of society and individuals. At the very least, you've accepted that value judgement and are criticizing others who haven't. So yes, they are judging you based on your espoused values.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by rskbrkr ( 824653 )

      Whenever there is a new technology, people emerge from various crevices to block it and ruin the party for everyone else.

      As with the Ukraine/Russia conflict, clearly GPS/signal jamming will only result in the adoption of fiber optic drones. /s

      • Well, you make a point I don't think intended. If non-line of sight drones become normalized, then non-line of sight drones with bombs could be a thing too. How would you know if it is Coffee or C4? Both start with C.

    • Re:People will oppose this (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Fly Swatter ( 30498 ) on Tuesday August 05, 2025 @05:15PM (#65568554) Homepage
      Unless it's a delivery to my residence, I don't want it within my airspace. Keep above the public transportation routes until they reach the destination, whether that's at 50ft or 400ft or even 1000ft don't buzz over personal residences.

      I'm basically saying that while their efficiency use case is 'as the crow flies', don't let them do that as it trespasses too close to personal property and airspace. It's another nuisance I simply don't want, the planes every minute overhead are bad enough.

      And I haven't even got into privacy, you just know they will be recording everything permanently as they fly over everyone's house and backyard.

      • Unless it's a delivery to my residence, I don't want it within my airspace. Keep above the public transportation routes until they reach the destination, whether that's at 50ft or 400ft or even 1000ft don't buzz over personal residences.

        You can't even enforce that 1000 ft rule over congested airspace with manned aircraft. What makes you think you can stop it with drones? 1K ft is the FAA minimum for congested areas, and it drops to 500ft in less congested areas.

        The best you can hope for is 500ft as the crow flies, and then a controlled vertical drop in front of the target residence.

        • I live in NYC (though probably moving to Europe this year) ... the amount of tourist and other helicopters flying overhead is already annoying as hell. I'm imagining the constant low buzz of drones overhead and cringing.

      • And I haven't even got into privacy, you just know they will be recording everything permanently as they fly over everyone's house and backyard.

        This is probably why it is being permitted.

  • "We are going to unleash American drone dominance," [U.S.] Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said ...

    Over who/what? Presumably he's talking about more drones flying within the U.S., so this, unsurprisingly, literally makes no sense.

    ... you may get a Starbucks cup of coffee from a drone," Duffy said.

    Isn't that already the case. #BaristaSlam (Hah! Joking - joking - baristas.)
    More seriously, can't imagine it arriving fresher than getting it at a shop...

    • > Isn't that already the case. #BaristaSlam (Hah! Joking - joking - baristas.)
      We need an app so baristas can track which coffees to spit in...

  • ...will also apply to personal FPV and not just corporate drones

  • So much for privacy (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Slashythenkilly ( 7027842 ) on Tuesday August 05, 2025 @05:26PM (#65568576)
    If you think the video footage wont be used for anything other than delivery, think again. That data will be kept for proof of delivery but cloud searchable by every LEO looking for activity in the area suspected of a crime with full facial recognition software, plate readers, and GPS backed by AI to identify potential targets. Amazon already handed your Ring data over, whats to stop it from happening again since there is no more expectation of privacy in the brave new world.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jythie ( 914043 )
      Not only that, but will probably be fed into their AI models.. as they run out of good relevant data, the demand for ANYTHING has been growing.

    • If you think the video footage wont be used for anything other than delivery, think again. That data will be kept for proof of delivery but cloud searchable by every LEO looking for activity in the area suspected of a crime with full facial recognition software, plate readers, and GPS backed by AI to identify potential targets. Amazon already handed your Ring data over, whats to stop it from happening again since there is no more expectation of privacy in the brave new world.

      Maybe Scott McNealy was a prophet

      "You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it." - McNealy, 1999

    • What privacy?

      Drones are already used by insurance companies to inspect roofs of homes they insure. https://www.npr.org/2025/05/28... [npr.org]

      Face it, just about everything you do is on camera or tracked by marketers. Privacy died in the 1970s when stores started to track customer purchases.

      • "Privacy died in the 1970s when stores started to track customer purchases."

        I was going to say, "Privacy died in the '50s with Jedgar's wiretaps", then decided to look it up.

        Apparently the first wiretapping was in the 1890s, shortly after voice comms were invented. The legality was strengthened by the Supremes in the 1920s (Prohibition, 'natch). WWII, wartime rules. We get to Jedgar in the '50s due to Commies behind every bush. In the '60s RFK Sr. signed the order 'tapping MLK (The Supremes finally required

  • Let me get my shotgun, I need to practice a new method of package piracy!

    • We've been hearing the threats like that against drones. And also self driving cars.

      Turns out you guys are wussies, few people want to go to jail for 20 to 40 YEARS and face terrorism charges over shooting a drone. But hey, if the idea of free meals for a few decades in exchange for being stuck in a cell with Bubba appeals to you that's cool.

      Reference: https://apnews.com/article/tes... [apnews.com]

      • You don't have to permanently damage robotaxis to disable them, just surround them with something they think is an immovable fence. If people will get 20-40 years in a cage for putting down some cones and foam, well then, the United Stinkholes will have shown its true colors as a Fascist shithole.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by hwstar ( 35834 )

      Better hope the real time video capture doesn't identify you or where the shotgun was fired from. You might get prosecuted criminally and civilly.

      If you're going to down a drone EW (Electronic Warfare, i.e. Radio frequency Jamming) is a better approach. There's just those pesky FCC regulations to deal with.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mjwx ( 966435 )

      Let me get my blunderbus, I need to practice a new method of package piracy!

      Yarr, fixed that for ye.

  • The same technology that enables drone package delivery also enables hit men to steal a drone, attach a handgun to it, go to your address, wait for you to come outside, and shoot you... all anonymously. Ukrainians have already demonstrated the cost effectiveness of drones as killing machines.
    • I have done a mind experiment about that. Would the bullet go as fast? When a person fires a gun, there is over 130lbs backing the equal/opposite reaction, but with a drone, it is maybe 20 lbs that is not tethered to anything. Would the bullet go 7x or more slower? It is a physics question, not an encouragement for anybody to do this.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ffkom ( 3519199 )
        You could use a second charge to blast into the opposite direction at the same time. But then again, an improvised explosive would be so much easier to start with, because aiming may not be trivial.
        • I think the OP implied that the Ukrainians were using guns on drones, however, it is my understanding that they are using simple grenades. They are either dropping them, or doing a drone suicide mission with them. Guns seem much more difficult than that. At minimum, it seems the drone would spin out nearly uncontrollably if shooting one gun, shooting a gun in the opposite direction seems like it may work. Hypothetically of course. A mind experiment.

  • Cities will impose drone curfews (Unless they are preempted federally).

    I can see it now: No drones are to be operated in residential neigborhoods between 11pm and 7am.

    • There'll be the drone equivalent of SWATting where haXx0rrZz use cloned cards to order 100 deliveries scheduled at the same time...

  • A solution in search of a problem! First time one of these things crashes, catches on fire or something, the lawyers will make a ton of money.

  • Why the fuck would I pay for a coffee from starbucks then pay to have it delivered by drone rather than simply walking over to the kitchen?

    Y'all have investor-induced mania. Noone wants seventeen spoons of five different types of sugar with their coffee.

    • Or just walk to a coffee shop, banter with with barista a bit, sit down, drink coffee. Don't be such an asozial who wants to do everything on his couch while gaining even more weight.
  • But then I'll never see one where I live..

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mjwx ( 966435 )

      But then I'll never see one where I live..

      Honestly, weather will take out far more drones than yahoos with shotguns... and yes, they do (clay) pigeon shooting in my part of England. Birdshot does not go that far.

  • It's the dream of every coffee drinker.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mjwx ( 966435 )

      It's the dream of every coffee drinker.

      Yes, but this is Starbucks, they don't do coffee.

  • And when the battery cooks off, Starbucks will have even more of that burnt taste.

  • It appears that the American dronespace(tm) is being preserved for companies, and not individuals. For instance, here in the SF bay area, there are very few legal places to fly drones; any attempt to change that for companies alone would be corrupt. Here in Santa Clara County, to fly a recreational drone, as a amateur, in a public park, requires a professional photographers license and insurance; that is insane. A person cannot be act as a professional photographer while flying a drone in a amateur sense. T

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