In College Station, Texas, several residents including the mayor and other officials banded together last year to oppose Amazon’s proposal to more than double the number of daily local drone flights, Wired reports. The Federal Aviation Administration received about 150 comments opposing the plans, including from homeowners’ associations and other groups.
In January, Amazon suspended deliveries in Texas and Arizona, saying it needed to update software. This suspension followed two drone crashes during light rain but the company said these incidents were not the primary cause for the suspension. The software update remains ongoing as of writing.
Following the noise complaints, Wired reports that Amazon introduced quieter drones but that residents, including wildlife, are happier now that the service is suspended. It will be interesting to see how the community responds when – and if – the service with the quieter drones resumes, as well as how Amazon responds to the concerns from residents.
Other drone services are operating, and expanding, in the state. Their operations are based through partnerships with physical retailers in commercial areas. As Wired suggests, location is key. The article also highlights some of the other lessons that might be learned by Amazon and other drone delivery services wishing to launch operations in residential areas.
Amazon recently published an article detailing its safety tests for drones, hoping to quell some of the concerns from the public.
Image: Amazon
