This is really bad news for the vast majority of the drone community.
I recently posted in another section how Public Safety is being given a streamlined approach to BVLOS, OOP and OOMV with forms that include reading about a mitigation for a hazard and signing off that you will abide. You also must fill out a 7711-2 form (Not all Parts) and provide a brief ConOps (Concept of Operations). You then sign off that you meet the legal definition of a governmental public safety agency and within 1 week you get the most coveted waivers in the drone biz. You do not have to write out long waiver applications.
You get BVLOS with no maximum distance.
To do so you must operate lower than 200 ft AGL and 100 feet above an obstacle within 100 feet of it, have anti-collision lights activated, have an ADS-B antenna on the aircraft that alerts back to you.
You get to operate over people and moving vehicles and when doing so can do so at the risk you are comfortable with.
When I say comfortable with it's:
A Category drone
A drone < 0.88 lbs needs propguards that protect from lacerations
A drone > 0.88 lbs needs the same as above or an ASTM 3322 parachute and this parachute does not need to meet the kinetic impact ratings of the Category drone
OR you can assume more risk and liability by not having propguards or a parachute recovery system and only operate at an altitude and duration to safeguard a human life.
I do appreciate that the FAA is giving Public Safety the tools to an easy path to these waivers, BUT, they need to offer an opportunity for well trained, regulations abiding small drone businesses to do something similar, with similar mitigation strategies.
It is crazy that when at work I can now fly a drone across our city, but as soon as I am off I cannot do the same with my personal drones even though I am the same person with the same drone, using the same safety mitigations.
I fully understand that it must be made easier so that Public Safety can provide a valuable service and again, I fully appreciate it. But, there are far too many responsible drone operators, numerous on this forum that should be given a path to do the same.