DroneZone: Operational Waivers under Part 107

Forms and Documents

Document Name	Status
DroneZone Operational Waivers Form	New
Operational Waivers Under Part 107 – Statutory Authority.docx Supplementary Document	2020-06-16
2120-xxxx DroneZone Operation Waivers Supporting Statement 12-08-2020.docx Supporting Statement A	2020-12-08

IC Document Collections

IC ID	Document Title	Status
242288	DroneZone Operational Waivers Form	New

ICR Details

OMB Control No:	ICR Reference No: 202006-2120-003
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No:
Agency/Subagency: DOT/FAA	Agency Tracking No:
Title: DroneZone: Operational Waivers under Part 107
Type of Information Collection: New collection (Request for a new OMB Control Number)	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 02/25/2021

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	36 Months From Approved
Responses	10,444	0
Time Burden (Hours)	5,222	0
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0

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Abstract: The FAA is improving the Web portal through which waiver requests are submitted, with robust enhancements to the portal for requesting waivers from operational sections of Part 107. As airspace waivers and operational waivers are vastly different from one another and are issued by different components of the FAA, the FAA has decided that it would be logical to create a separate IC for operational waivers. The request will allow the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to leverage automated means of collecting and processing operational waivers requested pursuant to 14 CFR Part 107. The new DroneZone for operational waivers includes many improvements, the most important of which being completeness validation-- a crucial feature employed by such systems as OPM's eQIP system for security background checks, or the private TurboTax by Intuit. In each case, the system will not accept a submission unless all necessary data elements are provided. By introducing this feature, the FAA will vastly reduce the amount of time applicants spend locating and submitting information that they neglected to include in their original applications, and applicants can be confident that if an application is accepted by this new system, the application is complete. This technology will help the public in availing itself of 14 CFR part 107, Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, which provides that the FAA may issue certificates of waiver that authorize certain operations that do not fulfill the requirements of Part 107. Title 14 C.F.R. § 107.200(a) provides: The Administrator may issue a certificate of waiver authorizing a deviation from any regulation specified in § 107.205 if the Administrator finds that a proposed small UAS operation can safely be conducted under the terms of that certificate of waiver. Under 14 C.F.R. § 107.205, several operational restrictions codified in Part 107 may be waived. These waivers, which are referred to as “operational waivers”, may be requested via the web portal. Through the web portal, respondents will establish a single account where they will be able to conduct multiple activities, including requesting operational waivers pursuant to § 107.205. Part 107 respondents communicate directly with the FAA when using the web portal. When a respondent requests an operational waiver, the FAA will manually process the request and provide an approval or denial to the respondent via the web portal.

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Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 49 USC 44807 Name of Law: General Requirements
   US Code: 49 USC 44701 Name of Law: General Requirements
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

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Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	85 FR 20333	04/10/2020
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	85 FR 63160	10/06/2020
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? Yes

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 1

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
DroneZone Operational Waivers	n/a, n/a, n/a, n/a, n/a, n/a	DroneZone Waiver Application ,   DroneZone Waiver Application ,   DroneZone CONOPS ,   DroneZone Waiver Narrative ,   DroneZone Waiver Review ,   DroneZone Waiver Type Selection

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ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Request	Previously Approved	Change Due to New Statute	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate	Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses	10,444	0	0	10,444	0	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	5,222	0	0	5,222	0	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0	0	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Miscellaneous Actions

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: This collection is currently covered by ICR 2120-0768, Waivers and ATC Authorization in Controlled Airspace under Part 107. However, given the vastly different areas of knowledge needed to process airspace waivers as compared to operational waivers, the FAA has decided to create a new ICR covering just operational waivers under part 107. As noted in the Abstract, this new ICR is being created in tandem with the launch of a all-new interface for operational wavers on the FAA's "DroneZone" (faadronezone.faa.gov).

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $4,790,311

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     Yes

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     Yes

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

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Common Form ICR:  No

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On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).

The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:

(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;

(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;

(c) It reduces burden on small entities;

(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;

(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;

(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;

(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:

(i) Why the information is being collected;

(ii) Use of information;

(iii) Burden estimate;

(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);

(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and

(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;

(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.

(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and

(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.

If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.

Certification Date: 02/25/2021

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