[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 134 (Tuesday, July 14, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41013-41015]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-17206]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Multistakeholder Process To Develop Best Practices for Privacy, 
Transparency, and Accountability Regarding Commercial and Private Use 
of Unmanned Aircraft Systems

AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of open meetings.

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SUMMARY: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA) will convene meetings of a multistakeholder process concerning 
privacy, transparency, and accountability issues regarding commercial 
and private use of unmanned aircraft systems. This Notice announces the 
meetings to be held in August, September, October, and November 2015. 
The first meeting is scheduled for August 3, 2015.

DATES: The meetings will be held on August 3, 2015; September 24, 2015; 
October 21, 2015; and November 20, 2015 from 1 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., 
Eastern Time. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for details.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held in the Boardroom at the American 
Institute of Architects, 1735 New York Avenue NW., Washington, DC 
20006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Verdi, National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Room 4725, Washington, DC 
20230; telephone (202) 482-8238; email [email protected].

[[Page 41014]]

Please direct media inquiries to NTIA's Office of Public Affairs, (202) 
482-7002; email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: Congress recognized the potential wide-ranging benefits 
of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) operations within the United States 
in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Modernization and Reform 
Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 112-95), which requires a plan to safely integrate 
civil UAS into the National Airspace System (NAS) by 2015. Compared to 
manned aircraft, UAS may provide lower-cost operation and augment 
existing capabilities while reducing risks to human life. Estimates 
suggest the positive economic impact to U.S. industry of the 
integration of UAS into the NAS could be substantial and likely will 
grow for the foreseeable future.\1\ UAS may be able to provide a 
variety of commercial services less expensively than manned aircraft, 
including aerial photography and farm management, while reducing or 
eliminating safety risks to aircraft operators. In addition, UAS may be 
able to provide some commercial services that would be impossible for 
manned aircraft. For example, improvements in technology may allow 
small UAS to deliver packages to homes and businesses where manned 
aircraft cannot land, and high-altitude UAS could provide Internet 
service to remote areas by remaining aloft for months at a time--far 
longer than manned aircraft.
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    \1\ Presidential Memorandum, Promoting Economic Competitiveness 
While Safeguarding Privacy, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties in 
Domestic Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, (Feb. 15, 2015), 
available at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/02/15/presidential-memorandum-promoting-economic-competitiveness-while-safegua.
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    On February 15, 2015, President Obama issued the Presidential 
Memorandum ``Promoting Economic Competitiveness While Safeguarding 
Privacy, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties in Domestic Use of Unmanned 
Aircraft Systems.'' The Presidential Memorandum states: ``As UAS are 
integrated into the NAS, the Federal Government will take steps to 
ensure that the integration takes into account not only our economic 
competitiveness and public safety, but also the privacy, civil rights, 
and civil liberties concerns these systems may raise.'' \2\ The 
Presidential Memorandum establishes a ``multi-stakeholder engagement 
process to develop and communicate best practices for privacy, 
accountability, and transparency issues regarding commercial and 
private UAS use in the NAS.'' \3\ The process will include stakeholders 
from industry, civil society, and academia, and will be initiated by 
the Department of Commerce, through NTIA, and in consultation with 
other interested agencies.
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    \2\ Presidential Memorandum at 1.
    \3\ Presidential Memorandum at 4.
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    On March 5, 2015, NTIA sought public comment on three broad 
questions: (1) What privacy, transparency, and accountability issues 
concerning UAS are the highest priorities for stakeholders to address; 
(2) how might best practices address those issues; and (3) how should 
stakeholders' work be structured as the group works openly and 
transparently toward consensus.\4\ More than fifty commenters filed 
responses.\5\ Individuals and entities in the commercial, academic, 
civil society, and government sectors filed comments. The comments 
highlight a range of issues that might be addressed through the 
multistakeholder process and suggest various ways in which the group's 
work might be structured.
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    \4\ NTIA, Request for Public Comment, Privacy, Transparency, and 
Accountability Regarding Commercial and Private Use of Unmanned 
Aircraft Systems, 80 FR 11978 (March 5, 2015), available at: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/federal-register-notice/2015/request-comments-privacy-transparency-and-accountability-regarding-comm.
    \5\ NTIA has posted the public comments received at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/federal-register-notice/2015/comments-privacy-transparency-and-accountability-regarding-commercial-a.
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    NTIA will convene stakeholders in an open and transparent forum to 
develop consensus best practices for utilization by commercial and 
private UAS operators. For this process, commercial and private use 
includes the use of UAS for commercial purposes as civil aircraft, even 
if the use would qualify a UAS as a public aircraft under 49 U.S.C. 
40102(a)(41) and 40125. The process will not focus on law enforcement 
or other noncommercial governmental use of UAS.
    NTIA is convening this process to address privacy concerns raised 
by commercial and private UAS. UAS can enable aerial data collection 
that is more sustained, pervasive, and invasive than manned flight; at 
the same time, UAS flights can reduce costs, provide novel services, 
and promote economic growth. These attributes create opportunities for 
innovation, but also pose privacy challenges regarding collection, use, 
retention, and dissemination of data collected by UAS. NTIA encourages 
stakeholders to work together within the NTIA process to identify 
safeguards that mitigate the privacy challenges posed by commercial and 
private UAS use, and to include appropriate safeguards in a 
stakeholder-drafted best practices document.
    The NTIA-convened process is intended to promote transparent UAS 
operation by companies and individuals. Transparent operation can 
include identifying the entities that operate particular UAS, the 
purposes of UAS flights, and the data practices associated with UAS 
operations. Transparent UAS operation can enhance privacy and bolster 
other values. Transparency can help property owners identify UAS if an 
aircraft erroneously operates or lands on private property. 
Transparency can also facilitate reports of UAS operations that cause 
nuisances or appear unsafe. NTIA encourages stakeholders to work 
together within the NTIA process to identify transparency mechanisms, 
such as standardized physical markings (in addition to the markings 
required by the FAA for purposes of registration) or electronic 
identifiers, which could promote transparent UAS operation, and to 
include appropriate mechanisms in a stakeholder-drafted best practices 
document.
    The NTIA-convened process is intended to promote accountable UAS 
operation by companies and individuals. UAS operators can employ 
accountability mechanisms to help ensure that privacy protections and 
transparency policies are enforced within an organization. 
Accountability mechanisms can include rules regarding oversight and 
privacy training for UAS pilots, as well as policies for how companies 
and individuals operate UAS and handle data collected by UAS. 
Accountability programs can also employ audits, assessments, and 
internal or external reports to verify UAS operators' compliance with 
their privacy and transparency commitments. Accountability mechanisms 
can be implemented by companies, model aircraft clubs, UAS training 
programs, or others. NTIA encourages stakeholders to work together 
within the NTIA process to identify mechanisms that can promote 
accountable UAS operation, and to include appropriate accountability 
mechanisms in a stakeholder-drafted best practices document.
    NTIA's role in the multistakeholder process is to provide a forum 
for discussion and consensus-building among stakeholders. When 
stakeholders disagree, NTIA's role is to help the parties reach clarity 
on what their positions are and whether there are options for 
compromise toward consensus, rather than substituting NTIA's own 
judgment.

[[Page 41015]]

    Matters To Be Considered: The August 3, 2015 meeting will be the 
first in a series of NTIA-convened multistakeholder discussions 
concerning privacy, transparency, and accountability issues regarding 
commercial and private use of UAS. Subsequent meetings will follow on 
September 24, 2015; October 21, 2015; and November 20, 2015. Additional 
meetings will be scheduled as needed. Stakeholders will engage in an 
open, transparent, consensus-driven process to develop best practices 
for privacy, accountability, and transparency issues regarding 
commercial and private UAS use in the NAS.
    The objectives of the August 3, 2015, meeting are to: (1) Briefly 
review the current regulatory environment for commercial UAS operation; 
(2) briefly discuss the range of commercial uses of UAS; (3) engage 
stakeholders in a discussion of high-priority substantive issues 
stakeholders believe should be addressed by best practices for privacy, 
transparency, and accountability for UAS operation; and (4) engage 
stakeholders in a discussion of logistical issues, including the 
potential establishment of working groups and identification of 
concrete goals and stakeholder work between the August and September 
meetings. This first meeting is intended to provide stakeholders with 
factual background regarding how UAS technology is currently used by 
businesses and individuals, how the technology might be employed in the 
near future, and what privacy, transparency, and accountability issues 
might be raised by the technology. NTIA will publish an agenda in 
advance of the August 3, 2015 meeting.
    The main objective of the September 24, 2015; October 21, 2015; and 
November 20, 2015 meetings is to encourage and facilitate continued 
discussion among stakeholders concerning a best practices document that 
sets forth privacy, transparency, and accountability practices for 
commercial and individual UAS operation. This discussion may include 
circulation of stakeholder-developed straw-man drafts and discussion of 
the appropriate scope of best practices. Stakeholders may also agree on 
procedural work plans for the group, including additional meetings or 
modified logistics for future meetings.
    NTIA suggests that stakeholders consider ``freezing'' the draft 
code of conduct after the November 20, 2015 meeting in order to 
facilitate external review of the draft. Stakeholders would then likely 
reconvene the group in December 2015 or January 2016 to take account of 
external feedback. More information about stakeholders' work will be 
available at: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/other-publication/2015/multistakeholder-process-unmanned-aircraft-systems.
    Time and Date: NTIA will convene meetings of the multistakeholder 
process regarding unmanned aircraft systems on August 3, 2015; 
September 24, 2015; October 21, 2015; and November 20, 2015, from 1:00 
p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The meeting dates and times are 
subject to change. The meetings are subject to cancelation if 
stakeholders complete their work developing a code of conduct. Please 
refer to NTIA's Web site, http://www.ntia.doc.gov/other-publication/2015/multistakeholder-process-unmanned-aircraft-systems, for the most 
current information.
    Place: The meeting will be held in the Boardroom at the American 
Institute of Architects, 1735 New York Avenue NW., Washington, DC 
20006. The location of the meetings is subject to change. Please refer 
to NTIA's Web site, http://www.ntia.doc.gov/other-publication/2015/multistakeholder-process-unmanned-aircraft-systems, for the most 
current information.
    Other Information: The meetings are open to the public and the 
press. The meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to John Verdi at (202) 482-8238 or 
[email protected] at least seven (7) business days prior to each 
meeting. The meetings will also be webcast. Requests for real-time 
captioning of the webcast or other auxiliary aids should be directed to 
John Verdi at (202) 482-8238 or [email protected] at least seven (7) 
business days prior to each meeting. There will be an opportunity for 
stakeholders viewing the webcast to participate remotely in the 
meetings through a moderated conference bridge, including polling 
functionality. Access details for the meetings are subject to change. 
Please refer to NTIA's Web site, http://www.ntia.doc.gov/other-publication/2015/multistakeholder-process-unmanned-aircraft-systems, 
for the most current information.

    Dated: July 9, 2015.
Milton Brown,
Acting Chief Counsel, National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-17206 Filed 7-13-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-60-P