The Federal Aviation Administration has spent several years mulling over regulations to permit the safe operation of commercial delivery drones. What’s the holdup?

Numerous merchandisers, from Amazon.com and Google on down, are itching to begin using drones, known more formally as unmanned aircraft systems, to deliver e-commerce orders. But the FAA has been dithering over the rules that would make that possible in the U.S. Meanwhile, pilot programs, and even some regular commercial services, are well underway in several other countries. So why is it taking so long to clear the regulatory skies for drones in this country? And might we be on the verge of seeing progress toward that goal at last? Attorney Lisa Ellman, partner with the firm of Hogan Lovells, returns to the podcast to bring us up to date on deliberations by the FAA and other regulatory agencies. We’ll learn how drones can surmount issues of safety, security, urban congestion and practicality. And what about those air taxis? Hosted by Bob Bowman, Executive Editor of SupplyChainBrain.

Look for a new episode of the podcast, which can be downloaded or streamed, every Friday on the SupplyChainBrain website and Apple Podcasts.

Show notes:

“Droning On,” a blog from Hogan Lovells.