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Alpena News: Sen. Peters co-authors bill for UAS education

Colleges and universities are saddled with the same restrictions for operating an unmanned aircraft system as commercial companies. As a result it is difficult for them to get needed permits and licenses to instruct future professionals in the industry.

A new piece of legislation proposed by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, could change that.

On March 3 Peters and bill co-sponsor Sen. Garrette Turner of Kansas, introduced the Higher Education UAS Modernization Act that will support the use of drones for research and higher educational purposes. The current laws require both instructors and students to apply for approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. If passed the new law would allow only one "operator of command" to be FAA approved.

Peters said giving colleges flexibility is important because there is going to be a demand for UAS operators and others who perform maintenance on them, who also must know who to operate them. He said the industry is in its infancy right now, but people to fill these high paying jobs soon will be in demand and it is wise to be sure there is a pool of qualified workers available, especially in Michigan and Alpena where many schools are adding UAS programs into their curriculums.

"It will help a facility such as Alpena Community College, which is a leader," Peters said. "Right now this type of program isn't easy to implement and I think this law would allow for students to get their hands on and learn this new technology."

Peters said Michigan is well positioned to be a leader in the budding industry and cities like Alpena are positioned well for it because they were proactive in taking steps to get FAA approval for activity and reaching out to partners to create employment and business opportunities.

"Michigan is already a leader and in a good position moving forward," Peters said. "There will be a tremendous growth opportunities and the demand to fill UAS positions will be great. That is why it is best to be able to give the students as much hands-on schooling as we can. The future isn't that far away."

The bill has yet to go before the Senate or the House of Representatives, but Peters is confident it will pass because it already has bi-partisan support.

"It has went before the Commerce Committee and we worked through some issues and I believe there will be broad support for it," Peters said. "I think it will go up for a vote in a couple months."

Peters said he didn't have an update on the progress made at the six centers of excellence which were designed to help establish UAS laws. He said the work is taking longer than most in Washington had hoped, but he is confident strides are being made.

"We need to get all of this right, because this is something that is going to be very big," Peters said. "It is going to produce hundreds of thousands of jobs and be a big boost to economies, potentially in Michigan and Alpena."