In response to concerns about “malicious drone activity” the FAA has announced new airspace restrictions over 60 facilities – most of them federal prisons.  Reports of attempts to make deliveries to prisoners or otherwise interfere with federal prison operation with drones have increased: earlier this year, a British man was sentenced to 5 years in prison for attempting to deliver contraband to prison inmates by drone.   A 9 month study of reports of rogue drones over prisons, maintained by counter-drone technology firm Dedrone, provides a discouraging look at repeated incidents of drugs, smuggling, riots and other mayhem that rogue drones have caused over correctional facilities.

While the perpetrators of these crimes are probably not heavy users of the B4UFly app or readers of FAA NOTAMS anyway, official restrictions may make it harder to fly off the shelf drones with geofencing into these areas – or at least make prosecution easier.  Fewer of these negative publicity events would be a good thing for the industry.

The following is an FAA press release.

WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) airspace restrictions over additional national security sensitive locations, effective November 7.

In cooperation with its federal partners, the FAA will restrict UAS operations in the airspace over 60 additional Department of Defense and Department of Justice facilities to address concerns about malicious drone activity. An FAA Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), FDC 9/7752, defines these special security instructions. The FAA has published a new NOTAM, FDC 9/1278, which alerts UAS operators and others in the aviation community to this change and points to FDC 9/7752.

UAS operators are strongly advised to review these NOTAMs, as well as important supporting information provided by the FAA’s UAS Data Delivery System (UDDS) website. This website contains the text of FDC 9/7752 (click on “UAS NOTAM FDC 9/7752” on scroll bar along the top of the page).

Further down the page is an interactive map (“Map of FAA UAS Data”) displaying restricted airspace throughout the U.S. Zooming in will enable viewers to click on each of the 60 new DOD and DOJ locations and see the specific restrictions. Each of the 60 locations are in yellow since the restrictions are pending until the Nov. 7 effective date, at which point they will become red.

The restrictions will also be included in the FAA’s B4UFLY mobile app.

UAS operators who violate these flight restrictions may be subject to enforcement action, including potential civil penalties and criminal charges.

The FAA considers requests by eligible federal security agencies for UAS-specific flight restrictions using its authority under 14 CFR § 99.7. The agency will announce any future changes, including additional locations, as appropriate.

The 60 locations:
Federal Correctional Institution Aliceville in Aliceville, Alabama
Federal Correctional Institution Ashland in Ashland, Kentucky
Federal Correctional Institution Bastrop in Bastrop, Texas
Federal Correctional Institution Beckley in Beaver, West Virginia
Federal Correctional Institution Bennetsville in Bennetsville, South Carolina
Federal Correctional Institution Berlin in Berlin, New Hampshire
Federal Correctional Institution Big Spring in Big Spring, Texas
Federal Correctional Institution Cumberland in Cumberland, Maryland
Federal Correctional Institution Danbury in Danbury, Connecticut
Federal Correctional Institution Dublin in Dublin, California
Federal Correctional Institution Edgefield in Edgefield, South Carolina
Federal Correctional Institution El Reno in El Reno, Oklahoma
Federal Correctional Institution Elkton in Lisbon, Ohio
Federal Correctional Institution Englewood in Littleton, Colorado
Federal Correctional Institution Estill in Estill, South Carolina
Federal Correctional Institution Fairton in Fairton, New Jersey
Federal Correctional Institution Gilmer in Glenville, West Virginia
Federal Correctional Institution Greenville in Greenville, Illinois
Federal Correctional Institution Herlong in Herlong, California
Federal Correctional Institution Jesup in Jesup, Georgia
Federal Correctional Institution La Tuna in Anthony, Texas
Federal Correctional Institution Loretto in Loretto, Pennsylvania
Federal Correctional Institution Lompoc in Lompoc, California
Federal Correctional Institution Manchester in Manchester, Kentucky
Federal Correctional Institution Marianna in Marianna, Florida
Federal Correctional Institution McDowell in Welch, West Virginia
Federal Correctional Institution McKean in Lewis Run, Pennsylvania
Federal Correctional Institution Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee
Federal Correctional Institution Mendota in Mendota, California
Federal Correctional Institution Miami in Miami, Florida
Federal Correctional Institution Milan in Milan, Michigan
Federal Correctional Institution Morgantown in Morgantown, West Virginia
Federal Correctional Institution Otisville in Otisville, New York
Federal Correctional Institution Oxford in Oxford, Wisconsin
Federal Correctional Institution Pekin in Pekin, Illinois
Federal Correctional Institution Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona
Federal Correctional Institution Ray Brook in Ray Brook, New York
Federal Correctional Institution Safford in Safford, Arizona
Federal Correctional Institution Sandstone in Sandstone, Minnesota
Federal Correctional Institution Schuylkill in Minersville, Pennsylvania
Federal Correctional Institution Seagoville in Seagoville, Texas
Federal Correctional Institution Sheridan in Sheridan, Oregon
Federal Correctional Institution Talladega in Talladega, Alabama
Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee in Tallahassee, Florida
Federal Correctional Institution Terminal Island in San Pedro, California
Federal Correctional Institution Texarkana in Texarkana, Texas
Federal Correctional Institution Three Rivers in Three Rivers, Texas
Federal Correctional Institution Waseca in Waseca, Minnesota
Federal Correctional Institution Williamsburg in Salters, South Carolina
Federal Medical Center Devens in Devens, Massachusetts
Federal Medical Center Butner in Butner, North Carolina
Federal Medical Center Lexington in Lexington, Kentucky
Federal Transfer Center Oklahoma City in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
United States Penitentiary Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia
United States Penitentiary Leavenworth in Leavenworth, Kansas
Martindale AHP in San Antonio, Texas
Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania
Tobyhanna Army Complex in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania
Military Ocean Terminal Concord in Concord, California
Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point in Sunny Point, North Carolina