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 The 25-member task force has reached no final decisions after
three days of meetings this week, the sources said. Discussions are
expected to continue via teleconference over the next two weeks
before the committee delivers formal recommendations to the Federal
Aviation Administration by Nov. 20.
Owners of small unmanned aerial vehicles would likely have to sign
up on a website or use a smartphone app and put a visible
registration number on the drone.
The process would provide a digital alternative to the more onerous
paper-based registration process for manned aircraft. Responsibility
for registering is expected to fall to the owner rather than the
manufacturer or retail vendor, but the task force could recommend no
penalties for first-time noncompliance, the sources said.
 The sources said this week’s meetings focused largely on top-line
issues, leaving details on specific requirements and privacy
questions for later discussions.
U.S. aviation regulators, who expect to begin implementing
registration in December, say a registry would help authorities
combat a surge in rogue drone flights near airports and other public
sites. The flights have raised concerns about safety and security
risks including possible collisions with commercial aircraft.
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David Vos, the leader for Google's Project Wing and co-chairman of
the task force, told a conference this week that registration should
be seen as the first step toward incorporating drones into U.S.
airspace. He predicted that other steps, including air traffic
control systems for low-altitude drone flights, could follow within
the next 12 months.
The FAA is crafting final regulations that would allow companies to
use drones as part of their business operations. Those rules are
expected early next year.
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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