Drone Regulations: Federal vs. State

In early 2016 a group of well-meaning Wisconsin legislators introduced legislation designed to allow local municipalities to regulate the use of drones in their given communities and to create a penalty enhancer for crimes committed when using a drone. Our Wisconsin Public Affairs team was hired by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) to engage with legislators and forestall any action at the state level in favor of federal regulation. As explained below, federal regulation, rather than at the state or local level, may be better for manufacturers.

We worked quickly to dispel misconceptions about drones, share information on the many legitimate commercial and private uses for this emerging technology and to help legislators better understand what was happening on a federal level relating to new rules from the FAA.