FAA clears news drones for take off

The Federal Aviation Administration will ease drone regulations for news gathering.

CNN announced this week an agreement with the FAA that will allow the network to use camera-equipped drones to gather and report news.

In return, CNN will provide the agency with data as it considers whether to further expand the use of drones for news gathering purposes.

“Unmanned aircraft offer news organizations significant opportunities,” FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said in a statement released Monday. “We hope this agreement with CNN and the work we are doing with other news organizations and associations will help safely integrate unmanned newsgathering technology and operating procedures into the National Airspace System.”

The FAA prohibits the use of drones with limited exceptions. 

The agency is expected to ease the restrictions on these unmanned aerial devices later this year, but in the meantime, it is allowing CNN to explore the use of drones for news gathering and reporting.