Where did This Idea of Federal Drone 'Testing' Come From?

   The industry of taking money from the taxpayers: I wonder if we spotted it in yesterday's news. 
   Utah is lobbying to host drone testing conducted through the Federal Aviation Administration. The story doesn't say whether the testing will determine if the drones can be used safely, or, if, rather, the testing is to see if the drones can do something worthwhile.
   Like fight forest fires, or gather information on crop well-being.
   But, it sure raises my eyebrow that the "testing" will last through 2015. Seems like you should determine the safety of something long before then. And, if the more likely scenario is that you are wondering if the drones will be productive, then 2015 is an awfully long contract for something that might prove unproductive long before then.
  You ought to be able to find out if something is worthwhile in just a year or two, and not be committed to carrying it on all the way til 2015 if it isn't.
   The news story says Congress mandated that the Federal Aviation Authority is to bring unmanned aircraft into airspace and is to "develop technology to move the program forward." That's a little vague, to me. The story also says prospective test sites must publish a privacy policy and follow existing privacy laws. Now, if we are talking about fighting forest fires, and gathering information about crops, I can't exactly see where privacy comes in. Could you tell me what other uses of drones you are considering, so I'll understand the privacy thing?
   I would imagine some folks are going to win government contracts out of all this. Actually, that is a concern. I wonder if in some board room, some aviation corporation had the idea that if they could get the government to pay for it, then they could manufacture and sell drones to gather crop information, fight fires, and so forth. It would open a new market for the aviation industry. Now, as an angle to get the government to do it, tell them the matter needs to be investigated, tested, just to see if it is worthy.
   But, make sure the testing lasts till 2025. By that time, it will be ingrained in the system and hard to remove.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865577222/Utah-hoping-to-be-1-of-6-drone-testing-sites-in-the-country.html
http://www.kaaltv.com/article/stories/S2986139.shtml?cat=10151