The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has been quick to adopt a drone regulation policy amid the recent increase in use of unmanned aerial devices. Concrete initiatives include drone registration, which began last Dec. 21 and would end on Feb. 19. Thus far, at least 181,000 have registered, according to the FAA.
Owners with drones weighing 55 pounds or less can apply through FAA's drone registry website. Users must shell out $5 as registration fee for each drone used. This applies to UAVs that are exclusively operated by hobbyists. For those who do not know, the fee will be reimbursed by the FAA if they register their device on or before Jan. 20. There is still a week to go before the offer ends, so drone owners who want to avail of the perk should register now.
The free registration "promotion" has been adopted in order to encourage participation, according to Popular Science. This came with the Congressional order for the FAA to establish rules in the regulation and control of UAVs. The FAA was specifically tasked to create a registration system by the end of 2015.
It is important to note that the drone registration is mandatory for UAV owners. Operating an unregistered drone could cost individuals severe regulatory and criminal penalties. For instance, there is the $27,500 civil fine or imprisonment of up to three years for non compliance, BGR reported.
Drones entered into the FAA system gets a registration number, which is valid for three years.
