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Associated Press, New York Times, and others will test drones with Virginia Tech's help

Associated Press, New York Times, and others will test drones with Virginia Tech's help

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CNN's not the only media organization trying to help the FAA establish rules for putting drones in the sky for news coverage. Today, a crew of news companies including the Associated Press, Getty, Gannett, NBCUniversal, The New York Times Company, and The Washington Post have come together with Virginia Tech to test small unmanned aircraft systems for news gathering purposes. The space they'll be using is one of six test sites set up by Congress for the purpose of assisting the FAA as it works to piece together rules for the commercial use of drones.

According to a press release, the news orgs and Virginia Tech will set up test scenes that mimic real-life news scenarios and "conduct controlled safety testing" to gauge how well drones can help gather news. It was only earlier this week when CNN announced a joint research deal with the FAA to similarly examine the best and safest ways of incorporating UAVs into airspace. The news coalition hasn't announced a timeline for when it expects to share its findings, while the FAA continues to face pressure as it works to propose clear rules for commercial drone usage.