Washington, DC —Suddenly, the FAA has allowed CNN  and a Las Vegas agency ArrowData to begin using and testing drones for electronic newsgathering over populated areas under a section 333-waiver application provision.   Until now the FAA has banned so-called, commercial use of drones while completely ignoring important First Amendment issues.  As of now many media companies have opted to refuse applying for section-333 waivers because the lack of FAA regulation in effect already allows drone newsgathering. The FAA just issued a curious memo saying the media can’t use the drones, but they can accept and publish drone video from third party hobbyists.  That begs the question, are the rights of hobbyists somehow greater than news publishers? Soon the FAA and media content creators may be clashing in a courtroom. The real issue and mission of the FAA is about safety in our skies. However, to date the nearly two million multi-rotor camera drones have ...