New rules allowing small drones to fly over people in U.S. take effect

FILE PHOTO: A drone flies over downtown during a NASA demonstration on the testing of its Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) platform in Reno, Nevada, U.S., May 21, 2019. REUTERS/Bob Strong

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that final rules announced in December took effect on Wednesday allowing for small drones to fly over people and at night, a significant step toward their eventual use for widespread commercial deliveries.

The effective date was delayed about a month during the change in administration. The FAA said its long-awaited rules for the drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, will address security concerns by requiring remote identification technology in most cases to enable their identification from the ground.