Amazon is currently attempting to experiment with options so that it can test its to-be-released drone-based shipping service Amazon Prime Air. The FAA recently gave Amazon a license that would let it experiment with drones, albeit within a set amount of limits.
However, Amazon isn't happy with the content of the license, or with how long it took. Paul Misener, Amazon.com's vice president for global public policy, recently submitted written testimony to the Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security. Misener told the subcommittee that Amazon is not testing the drone that the FAA just approved anymore.
"We don't test it anymore. We've moved on to more advanced designs that we already are testing abroad," wrote Misener. "Nowhere outside of the United States have we been required to wait more than one or two months to begin testing."
Misener also wrote in his testimony that he believes that European and other international governments are more reasonable when it comes to adapting to the needs of companies.
"The Amazon.com case illustrates the frustrations of many industry representatives, who say the U.S. regulatory process is not keeping up with rapidly developing drone technology that could generate new revenues and cost savings for a range of industries," Reuters reports.
Margaret Gilligan, FAA's associate administrator for aviation safety, responded to Misener's claims, saying that the slow response was due to safety concerns, since the U.S.'s airspace is more complex than airspace in Europe or other countries.
The FAA is currently in the process of developing a proper set of regulations for controlling drone use in America. While the administration did recently submit a potential set of regulations, they won't be officiated until late 2016-early 2017.
