expand economic opportunities with our country, but it has to be done right, has to be done with safety concerns addressed and privacy concerns addressed in this issue. i know we will do more together on this issue, but i want to express my gratitude for you all coming here. i will now say that the hearing record will be open for two weeks. during this time, senators are asked to submit any questions to the record. the respondents are requested to submit answers as soon as possible. with that, the hearing is now closed. thank you. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> the senate aviation subcommittee met this past week to discuss regulation of commercial drones and how that should he accomplished as you heard from the members of the faa and represented from amazon and a farmer from michigan with

a number of issues on the table before the subcommittee. we would like to hear from you and your thoughts on how commercial drones should be regulated. when the conversation. democrats publicans and independence and all others. make sure you meet your television when you call in. you can also join the conversation on facebook. we have a number we would like to read to you. #we are using is c-span chat. how should drones be regulated? philadelphia is first out. go ahead. caller: imx military.

any decision made with regards to the use of this kind of thing, you have to opt on the side of potential danger. you have to observe there is a possibility of danger in the use of these things, as opposed to the positives. it has been brought to the floor that other countries are using these drones in varied circumstances or whatever. the united states has always been a place for everything inventions have been tested and tried or whatever. we have learned through trial and error. we have made mistakes by not understanding how to regulate these things. other countries that over the years have been sending their people here to this country to learn at universities and m.i.t. and so and so forth how to do these things, they take back the technology to their countries and they are using it.

we can't use these other countries as a barometer for how we aside to allow or disallow things. the process is taking place, we are questioning every aspect of these things in a rightful way because we cannot just allow these kinds of things to just become bvogue in our society. host: is the government dragging their feet? caller: it is necessary. we learn by trial air and we have made mistakes by letting things go out to soon. host: debbie, republican line. caller: i wanted to make a brief statement. watching the program, i did not get in on the beginning but watching what i did of it, my concern, my husband and i lived in cape coral florida for a good number of years our concern is

that you are talking about commercial drones. as the gentleman before me who was military had mentioned, the other countries come here and learn our technology and take it back and use it. we really can't use those guidelines. they're not applicable to us here in the united states. on many different levels because of cultural differences and our military differences. my big fear is, our big fear is, and i am 58 years old, and my children -- and i have grandchildren, we have talked about this. if you give the government an inch, they will take it a mile. we hear that police departments want to have drones, to participate in their work. we feel this is going to be taken too far. it would be great if it stays

strictly military. if you start putting it into commercial use, they are going to want to bring it into law enforcement and i have heard of it before on naples, florida the dittman who makes drones. -- the gentleman who makes drones. the use of drones in the police department, we don't like the idea that whether it be our police department or washington dc, we don't want people being able to hover things over our private homes, our summing full's, our shopping centers and watching us. host: thank you for your comments. earlier this week, the subcommittee -- you can see all of it online on c-span.org. we are asking you how the government should regulate commercial use of drones.

we saw some pretty nifty looking video, that was from the wall street journal and their look at the commercial use of drones. they did a piece they published on friday. let's continue with your calls. gloria pennsylvania. caller: i have a big believer in privacy. i don't like the idea of drones being able to fly over my house, whether i am inside or outside. it is no one's business but is going on in my property. host: should the federal or state government make laws about this sort of use? caller: both of them. the faa could put out general guidelines but states should be allowed to offer specific rules about what can and cannot happen. host: members of the subcommittee heard from a

representative of amazon. amazon eager to get drones in the air, they hate the faa's regulations. the slow u.s. approval process has pushed drone innovation abroad. amazon hammers faa for lack of impetus overdrawn policy. they have moved on to the next generation of drones as the faa has just completed regulation notices on the first generation. jerome, ohio, republican. caller: my vote goes to those democratic senators from massachusetts. i think he hit it on the head. i am a farmer. i should be able to put a drone on my farm. host: how does that get rid of

them? who regulates that? caller: the faa has something to do with it but the states should also have something to do with it. host: the farmer was from michigan. the call from trials is from eastpointe, michigan. caller: my concern is what is going to happen when the terrorists use these things? to tie that in with gps. they can locate your house. what is going to happen when terrorists take over? everything starts out to be good but it turns out to be bad like the internet. host: on the commercial use of drones, should they not regulate that? or should be regulated more strictly? caller: more strictly.

it is going to become a tool for terrorists. host: make sure you mute your television when you call in. the event was tuesday. you will it on our facebook page. bill says that no drones over residential properties, period. jay says a permit should be needed for operating a drone in public airspace. this should be reviewed by an independent source to make sure there is no release of personal information. your thoughts are welcome. sugarloaf, pennsylvania, democrat line. caller: i am retired military and in light of -- and i have seen use of drones. i believe the faa should regulate it and i agree with the gentleman who was on a minute ago about terrorists using it

for their use. they already use drones. the faa -- they should be strictly used. model airplanes are being used today. they should be monitored like that. if you want to use it on your property to entertain your family, i think that is fine. but the faa is doing a good job. it is taking it slow and you can't use a barometer of other countries. other countries are not the united states. i believe the faa is to be a good job to regulate these drones. for commercial use, i think that they should either speed up a little bit -- but i don't think they should give exemptions like the gentleman said.

i have seen the drones. they are remarkable when you put technology on them. i think the faa is doing a good job of regulating this. we are a different country than anyone else. you can't use other countries as a barometer for other states. host: elk grove, california republican. caller: i am prior military myself and a commercial pilot. my concern is that we tend to see -- we see that basically helicopters operate in a range that goes from the surface to 1500 or 2000 feet depending on where you are at. it have drones, a person would just decide to fly at up anytime he wants and he does not know the helicopter is taking off. you can't let them go out of sight.

if i am operating a drone in this area and decide to take off, how does i know -- how do i have the neighbors helicopter or airplane is not taking off? in the other aircraft, there is a pilot. host: are you still flying on a private basis? caller: on a commercial basis. i have had 10 near misses from drones in the los angeles area. i had to go from 500 feet to the surface. that is why the faa says you have to stay away from airplanes. host: have even caught in a situation where you have been flying into have seen drones? caller: yes. i am coming in for a landing during an air show in l.a. and there was a drone, 300 feet off the ground. had to avoid a drone. host: are up senate from amazon

story came out about facebook and to their intentions are possible intentions on drones. the headline here from the guardian, the u.k. guardian says that facebook successfully tests laser drones in uk's guys. they see that the social network members to use social network drones with a wingspan of a carrier to beam internet to rural areas. back to your calls on the commercial regulation of drones. new york, james, go ahead. caller: people are confusing drones with quad copters that have cameras on them. when you say drone, everyone thinks of something that the military uses for missiles. host: the truth is, in that hearing, i don't know if he saw the entire hearing but the hearing, senator markey from massachusetts was holding up, i

might be wrong but it was a quad copper. they were talking about drones but it was talked about in the common name for uav. correct? caller: sure. the thing about these items is that you can use them for good and bad. you can have an item like a handgun. many people can own those responsibly and use them recreationally but then he can have some people of bad character who decided she people. it is unfortunate -- who decide to shoot people. it is unfortunate for people cannot have dressed because we're not going to be able to -- people are going to be spying, strapping bombs to them. but good people, like myself who owns a drone, or a quad copt er, identifying it and shooting scenery pictures i can't get with a regular camera, but there

are going to be those who do something wrong. but that person, whether the faa regulates them are not, is so going to do that -- is still going to do that. i would appreciate the guidance the faa has and all the commercial uses and i called to do their job -- and agricultural uses to do their job, west end in their -- why stand in their progress. host: answer the concerns of the helicopter pilot who just called in about the altitude the drones use and the altitude that helicopters get to at some point. caller: there is the concern -- yes, they could go several hundred feet in the air/. .

i am aware of the parameters you are not allowed or should not be flying them within several miles of an airport. you need to keep it in line of sight. i think perhaps i don't fly here in new york city because so much stuff goes on in the air here. i go off to a park and i get out of the way of people or go to a forest area. if it crashes it is in 99% chance of hitting somebody. >> we do want to let you know about our coverage of the issue on the use of commercial drones for the latest in our