Sec. 360. STUDY ON FINANCING OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SERVICES

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## SEC. 360 STUDY ON FINANCING OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SERVICES ###

(a)In General Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall initiate a study on appropriate fee mechanisms to recover the costs of— ####

(1)the regulation and safety oversight of unmanned aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems; and ####

(2)the provision of air navigation services to unmanned aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems. ###

(b)Considerations In carrying out the study, the Comptroller General shall consider, at a minimum— ####

(1)any recommendations of Task Group 3 of the Drone Advisory Committee chartered by the Federal Aviation Administration on August 31, 2016; ####

(2)the total annual costs incurred by the Federal Aviation Administration for the regulation and safety oversight of activities related to unmanned aircraft; ####

(3)the annual costs attributable to various types, classes, and categories of unmanned aircraft activities; ####

(4)air traffic services provided to unmanned aircraft operating under instrument flight rules, excluding public aircraft; ####

(5)the number of full-time Federal Aviation Administration employees dedicated to unmanned aircraft programs; ####

(6)the use of privately operated UTM and other privately operated unmanned aircraft systems; ####

(7)the projected growth of unmanned aircraft operations for various applications and the estimated need for regulation, oversight, and other services; ####

(8)the number of small businesses involved in the various sectors of the unmanned aircraft industry and operating as primary users of unmanned aircraft; and ####

(9)any best practices or policies utilized by jurisdictions outside the United States relating to partial or total recovery of regulation and safety oversight costs related to unmanned aircraft and other emergent technologies. ###

(c)Report to Congress Not later than 180 days after initiating the study, the Comptroller General shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report containing recommendations on appropriate fee mechanisms to recover the costs of regulating and providing air navigation services to unmanned aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems.