Drone Owners to Be Required to Register Devices

New system may be introduced by Christmas.

CBS News has learned that the U.S. Department of Transportation intends to announce a registration requirement as early as Monday.

Administration plans for a new registry were first reported on Friday by NBC News. As per the rule all drone buyers will be required to register their device at the time of buying it.

US regulators have scrambled to regulate drones as they have proliferated in USA skies in recent years, sparking concerns from lawmakers, pilots and the general public that the devices pose a threat to manned aircraft.

So far nothing is mentioned regarding whether the registry is going to be retroactive or will be applied to just new purchases or if it will be only applied to drones above a certain size. According to the report, the government will collaborate with drone companies to establish a registration system. Officials say efforts to track down the owners of rogue drones have been frustrated in part by a 2012 congressional decision to bar the FAA from regulating recreational drones.

The plan has also asked for the formation of a task force, consisting of representatives from the government and the drone industry.

FAA deputy administrator Michael Whitaker told a House panel last week that the agency was considering setting up a registry with manufacturers to keep track of drone owners, commercial and recreational. Under these guidelines, drone users cannot fly the devices higher than 400 ft., within three miles of an airport and within a one mile radius of stadiums during events.