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Trump’s Secretary Of Transportation Is Likely To Relax Commercial Drone Regulations

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Donald Trump wants Elaine Chao to be the next US Secretary of Transportation, and if he gets his way she’s likely to cut regulations on commercial drone use.

Formerly the labor secretary under George W. Bush, Chao is known for having a light regulatory touch and experts are particularly confident she will relax commercial drone regulations on weight limits and line-of-sight requirements, ConstructionDive reports. Commercial drone use today is limited to 55 pounds, a capped flying height of 400 feet and the requirement that drones always stay in the operator’s line of sight, among other regulations.

Scaling back some of those rules would make drones more useful for construction firms, which drone companies say are a potential $45.2B market. [CD]