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AT&T And NASA Collaborate To Shield Drones From Hackers

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UNITED STATES (CBSDFW.COM) -  AT&T announced five days ago that it was collaborating with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop an Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UAS) program to allow agencies to monitor drones.

The program will make it safer for drone operators to plan and monitor flight paths, navigate drones, and use drones for surveillance, according to the AT&T release.

"Working with NASA and others, we are designing the management system for a new frontier in aviation," said Mike Leff, Vice President, Civilian, AT&T Global Public Sector Solutions. "Drones are already used in agriculture, public safety, construction, utilities, real estate and TV. This research can help support the commercial and private use of drones nationwide."

The company stated that its main focus is to lower the risk of drone-related cyberattacks.

AT&T has also implemented a national drone program, according to the release. The company uses drones to inspect cell towers and measure network performance at venues and locations across the country.

(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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