Carson City Council To Consider Banning Drones From Flying Over Future NFL Stadium
CARSON (CBSLA.com) — The Carson City Council is expected to consider a proposed ordinance Tuesday that would ban drone flights over large public venues.
The motion would ban drones from flying lower than 400 feet within a half-mile of "any large venue special event, including but not limited to any Carson stadium" while a special event is ongoing.
City officials clarified the ban would affect flights over the future NFL stadium and the StubHub Center.
According to Mayor Albert Robles, the ordinance comes amid a need to protect public safety as part of the city's effort to prepare for the possibility of having the NFL in early 2016 if a Chargers-Raiders stadium moves there.
"The number of drone overflights over sporting events in particular has grown dramatically in recent years," Robles said. "In this era of heightened concern about terrorism it is particularly incumbent on the city to be vigilant about protecting the safety of the public attending large public events."
According to Federal Aviation Administration rules, drones are now prohibited from flying at or below 3,000 feet within three nautical miles of a major sports event with seating for 30,000 spectators. This also applies to flights from one hour before and after each sporting event.
However, city officials have found the FAA's ability to enforce this ban is problematic.
"The FAA rule does not apply to the 20,000-seat StubHub Stadium, home of the Galaxy soccer team, nor to any other large public event in Carson's parks or at Cal State University Dominguez Hills," Robles added. "We want to protect all our major events from a tragic accident or attack."
The City Council will meet around 6 p.m. to discuss the proposed ordinance.
