Amazon is backing a new proposed rule in the US that would enable more companies to easily deliver food and packages to customers using drones.
Details surrounding the new approach for drone activity Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) were announced on August 5, 2025, by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
“We are eliminating the complicated patchwork of drone regulations stifling innovation in commercial aviation. Our new framework released today will UNLEASH AMERICAN DRONE DOMINANCE,” said Secretary Duffy.
Under current rule operators have to get individual waivers or exemptions to use their drones without visual line of sight.
“These were approved on a case-by-case basis, and the process was cumbersome,” said a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
From the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk to the Jet Age, America has always led the way in aviation innovation ✈️
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) August 5, 2025
Our new framework for commercial drones is the next step in American ingenuity transforming the airspace.🌎🚀 pic.twitter.com/Y3dWwwyGt0
The FAA explained: “By eliminating these requirements for BVLOS operations, the proposal will significantly expand the use-case for drone technologies in areas like: manufacturing, farming, energy production, filmmaking, and the movement of products including lifesaving medications.”
The new proposal will require manufacturers, operators, and drone traffic management services to keep BVLOS drones safely separated from each other and from manned aircraft.
Secretary Duffy called for the US to lead the way in drone technology and appeared to challenge China’s progress in the field.
We’ve outsourced our future to our main adversary. We’ve allowed bureaucracy to block innovation. No more,” added Secretary Duffy.
Amazon thanked the White House, Department of Transportation and the FAA for their “leadership in advancing a framework that supports safe, scalable drone operations like Prime Air drone delivery”.
“We look forward to reviewing the FAA’s proposed rule that is meant to enable routine, safe operations of drones beyond visual line of sight and to participating in this important rulemaking,” added Amazon.
The new FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the new rule was about “normalizing” BVLOS flights to unleash the “societal and economic benefits” of drones.
“Package delivery, agriculture, aerial surveying, public safety, recreation, and flight testing are just some of the uses we expect to see as we enable these innovative technologies while maintaining the safety of our national airspace system,” said Bedford.