On Sunday's episode of 60 Minutes, a cautiously optimistic Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos introduced his plans for Amazon Prime Air, a future program that would use small, autonomous drones to deliver packages.
Bezos said Prime Air could be up and running as soon as four to five years from now.
But before his plan can truly take off, the Federal Aviation Administration first needs to figure out how to allow commercial drones into U.S. airspace. As it stands now, anyone who wants to fly unmanned aircraft for commercial purposes must apply to do so, and those applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
While the FAA plans to integrate commercial drones into American airspace as early as Sept. 30, 2015, it has been slower than expected to develop drone regulations. Much talk has centered around drones operated by remote pilot. Amazon's robots would be autonomous, meaning no one would directly man each individual course.
"So far, only a single commercial [drone] operator has been approved to operate, and it is in the Arctic ," the FAA said in a statement provided to Mashable.
The 2015 deadline, which Congress imposed in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 and enacted in February of that year, should regulate and streamline the process. But that deadline now seems like a reach because the administration has already missed earlier due dates proposed in the act.
The most recent missed deadline was for the development of a five-year "roadmap" to facilitate the introduction of civil drones into national airspace. That map was supposed to appear in mid-February of this year, but it wasn't published until Nov. 7.
However, even if the aviation administration's plans were on track, Amazon's drones have other hurdles to clear. The administration may be wary of drones flying into urban areas already heavy with air traffic, especially when they're not guided by a remote pilot. The five-year roadmap mentions autonomous drones only three times, the of which simply says, "Autonomous operations are not permitted." The plan does, however, highlight the importance of pilot control several times.
The FAA echoed the same sentiment in its statement on Monday.
"Over the next several years the FAA will establish regulations and standards for the safe integration of remote piloted [drones] to meet increased demand. Autonomous [drone] operation is not currently allowed in the United States."
Despite the tone of the aviation administration's statement, Amazon remains optimistic.
"We've already been in contact with the FAA on Prime Air," Amazon representative Mary Osako told Mashable via email. "What you saw on 60 Minutes was just one of several early prototypes, and we will be continuously iterating on new models as we advance the technology and wait for the necessary FAA rules and regulations."
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
BONUS: Drones vs. Government: Who Owns America's Skies?

Image: YouTube, amazon