Feds declare ‘No Drone Zone’ for Super Bowl

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is warning drone users that they can’t fly the devices over the Super Bowl on Sunday. 

The FAA has declared a “No Drone Zone” over San Francisco’s Levi’s Stadium, home to the National Football League’s upcoming championship game between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos. 

“Bring your lucky jersey, your face paint and team spirit but leave your drone at home,” the agency says in a video that was posted on its YouTube page this week.

{mosads}”Be a responsible pilot and make the game safe for all of us,” the video continues. 

The warning comes as the FAA is crafting rules for the increasing use of drones for non-military purposes. The agency has implemented a new registration system for existing recreational drones, and it is considering rules for a rapid increase in the use of the devices for commercial purposes. 

The FAA had been facing pressure to approve a rapid expansion of nonmilitary drone use. Congress gave the agency a September 2015 deadline to finalize new the rules for the unmanned aircraft, but the agency thus far has only released a draft of the new regulations. 

The FAA’s proposed rules define small drones as devices that weigh less than 55 pounds and require them to be operated at heights that are less than 500 feet and speeds that are less than 100 miles per hour.

The regulations also call for drone flights to be limited to daytime hours and conducted only by U.S. residents who are older than 17. Drone operators are prohibited under the FAA proposal from conducting flights that take the devices out of their line of vision, which is a big blow to companies like Amazon that have touted the possibility of using the technology to conduct deliveries. 

While the rules are being finalized, the FAA is requiring drone users to pay a fee and register with the federal government. 

The agency has said drone users will have to register their devices by Feb. 19, 2016, in a new Web-based tracking system. The FAA is imposing a $5 fee for registrations over the objections of drone advocates, but the agency waived the charge for the first 30 days of the new requirement.