FAA’s virtual Drone Advisory Committee is free for anyone to listen in on

Participating in the Federal Aviation Administration’s drone-related proceedings just got a whole lot easier — thanks to its newfound virtual Drone Advisory Committee.

The FAA is holding its next Drone Advisory Committee via livestream, which will be broadcast on the FAA’s official Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages. The meeting is set for this Friday, June 19 from noon to 3 p.m. ET.

This meeting’s agenda is set to discuss topics like Remote Identification, technical challenges, security, recreational operations and waivers.

The FAA’s Drone Advisory Committee was designed as a “broad-based, long-term federal advisory committee that provides the FAA advice” on drone-related integration issues. Its members include people who run the gamut of industry players from researchers, academics, tech providers, retail services, and people who work for the government. Those people are tasked with weighing in on topics ranging from the Knowledge Test for Recreational Flyers to the controversial Remote ID proposal.

The current committee is led by FAA Deputy Administrator Dan Elwell and chaired by Michael Chasen, CEO of PrecisionHawk — which is a drone-focused company. The committee also includes representatives from Wing (a spinoff of the company formerly known as Google), Amazon Prime Air and DJI.

There are two members who represent drone operators: Greg Agvent, Senior Director of National News Technology at CNN; and Todd Graetz, Director of Technology Services at BNSF Railway. Additionally, two representatives advocate for drone pilots: Rich Hanson, President of the Academy of Model Aeronautics; and Brian Wynne, President and Chief Executive Officer of AUVSI.

Streaming this next DAC meeting can be an interesting — and accessible — way to get a feel for how the FAA operates and approaches drone pilots. The FAA was subject to massive criticism just a few weeks prior in the drone industry for charging $375 for its virtual conference.

The good news: this Friday’s event is free.