Why Drones Are Not Delivering Packages to Consumers in the U.S.
Accessing low-altitude private airspace is not simply a regulatory issue in the U.S., but a constitutional one.
There’s a reason why Amazon and other retailers are not yet delivering packages to American consumers via drone at scale within the United States and it’s not because the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”), Federal Highway Administration and National Park Services are cumbersome, bureaucratic-entities obstructing technological and social progress.
While regulators certainly have a material role to play in the future success of of commcerial drone services, even if hypothetically there were no regulatory barriers, whatsoever, drones would still be restricted to operating over public property and or at higher altitudes (i.e. regulated airspace above 500 feet). If retailers and couriers would like to provide low-altitude drone delivery services within the United States, they’ll eventually need to fly low-altitude over parties’ property that are not the intended recipient of the drone service.
Problem:
In the U.S. drone operators need permission to fly at low-altitude over private property without trespassing and there is significant demand for commercial drone services (i.e. parcel delivery). According to research conducted by the NY Times, 86% of parcels are under 5 lbs. and can be handled by existing drone technology.
Solution:
AERO Token enables hosts (i.e. property owners) to authorize their property for commercial drone Right-of-Way operations in exchange for income.
Participants can notify all drone services providers that their airspace is available via the blockchain, making their idling asset (i.e. airspace) a source of income generation, maximizing its potential value.
AERO Token is a missing technological and legal mechanism necessary to develop the infrastructure for low-altitude commercial drone operations at scale.
Summary:
Practically speaking, drone service providers will inevitably need to operate at low-altitude over parties’ property that are not the intended recipients of the drone service. Therefore, unless we would like to restrict drones to static Right-of-Ways, commercial drone service providers will need a mechanism to easily be granted permission from every property owner they fly over, at low-altitude, along the course of a flight route.
AERO Token makes it easy for property owners (i.e. hosts) to notify all drone service providers that their airspace is available for use in exchange for income.
