Legislators in West Virginia are moving to ease laws restricting the use of drones, with the aim of attracting what is currently limited UAV business creation and investment in the state.
This week, the West Virginia state Senate unanimously passed Bill 5, which seeks to alter existing restrictions that have considerably throttled the use of drones. Central to that effort is establishing a balance between standing legislation focused on protecting the privacy of people and companies from camera-equipped UAVs flying over their property, and the ability of pilots to operate in airspaces otherwise allowed by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations.
In addition to prohibiting UAVs use to stalk or attack people – or in hunting – current law screws the lid rather tightly on when drone use becomes illegal. It is prohibited in West Virginia, for example, “to knowingly and intentionally capture or take photographs, images, video, or audio of another…
