CNN Gains FAA OK to Use Drones in Newsgathering Operations

CNN said Monday that it has just reached an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration to integrate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into newsgathering and reporting.

CNN Senior Vice President David Vigilante said the news network wants to "get beyond hobby-grade equipment" and help to develop "a vibrant ecosystem where operators of various types and sizes can safely operate in the U.S. airspace."

Several television news outlets hope to use drones "to inexpensively offer hard-to-get camera angles of breaking news events," Deadline.com reported.

Regulators are working to devise rules that will enable the rapidly growing array of drones to safely share airspace with other aircraft.

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said his agency is working to "help safely integrate unmanned newsgathering technology and operating procedures into the National Airspace System."

At Sunday's Golden Globe awards show, a drone was used to capture footage of celebrities and various red carpet moments. But the drone was provided by DJI Global, which was not among the six film companies cleared by the FAA in September to use drones for commercial filming purposes, TechCrunch reported.

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