Legislation Includes Measures Hoeven Advanced to Address Potential UAS Threats & Spectrum Use, Develop Aircraft Maintenance Workforce

Senator John Hoeven Wednesday joined the Senate in passing a conferenced reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The legislation supports important investments in the nation’s aviation infrastructure, such as the relocation of Williston’s airport and other airport updates throughout the state. Further, Hoeven worked to ensure the legislation addresses issues that are critical to the safe integration of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into the national airspace (NAS), including:

• UAS Test Site Extension – extending authorization through 2023 for the UAS test sites, including the Northern Plains UAS Test Site in North Dakota. The test sites were originally authorized by Hoeven-sponsored legislation signed into law in 2012.
• UAS Spectrum Use – a Hoeven-authored measure directing the FAA, the National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to identify the spectrum frequencies that would best enhance the safe integration of UAS into the national airspace (NAS).
• Preventing Emerging Threats Act of 2018 – legislation that Hoeven helped introduce to protect important facilities from security risks posed by unmanned aircraft, while also directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct research and test technology to address emerging threats and the potential misuse of UAS.

“We worked hard to ensure this legislation provides certainty for North Dakota’s UAS industry by extending our test site’s authorization for five years and helping clarify the spectrum UAS may use,” Hoeven said. “Further, the bill includes our legislation to bolster the development of counter-UAS capabilities, which is a major step in safely integrating unmanned aircraft into the NAS. We’ve continued to stress to administration officials, including during the recent visits of the Homeland Security and Air Force secretaries, that North Dakota is uniquely positioned to develop this technology. We will continue to advance this and other priorities to build our leadership in this dynamic and growing sector.”