said the U.S. regulatory approval it received last week to test deliveries by unmanned aircraft, or drones, is too little, too late.
Amazon has developed new drone models and the one approved for testing by the Federal Aviation Administration is no longer being used, Paul Misener, the Seattle-based company’s vice president for global public policy, told lawmakers Tuesday at a hearing.
Misener’s testimony highlights the difference in the pace of technology companies looking to build a competitive advantage and regulators seeking to protect the public from harm.
He urged the federal government to move more quickly to approve testing of commercial drones and pointed to the faster pace in Europe and Asia.
“Nowhere outside of the United States have we been required to wait more than one or two months to begin testing,” Misener told a subcommittee of the Senate’s Commerce, Science and Transportation panel.
