Sir, – While welcoming all new jobs in Ireland, I have a fear that the new jobs announcement related to drone deliveries will be used by the Government to usher in a lightly regulated delivery drone industry without addressing the major concern, which is scalability.
Should the drone delivery industry become profitable there will be a rush of new entrants to the market and, without the Government doing due diligence to regulate and protect the rights of citizens, our skies will become a wild west of drone activity.
To believe that the drone market will regulate itself is a dangerous fallacy. Worryingly, there has been a flurry of opinion recently from business luminaries who are trying to paint all regulation as an obstruction to progress.
This is lazy, profit-serving thinking. Thankfully, the Government seems to be holding its nerve so far against the likes of Uber. Let’s hope that resolve continues in the face of pressure from the drone delivery industry. – Yours, etc,
RM Block
DONAGH McINERNEY,
Celbridge,
Co Kildare.
Sir, – In the article “Drone company Manna to create 400 jobs as it announces $50m funding round,” (April 1st), the CEO of a drone company rebuked councillors for voicing community concerns about the growing impact of drone flights on daily life.
It is not “irresponsible” for elected representatives to question the consequences of commercial technologies on noise, safety, privacy and local wellbeing – it is essential.
I welcome technological progress, including innovations that support medical and essential services. But communities are right to scrutinise who truly benefits from such systems, and who bears the cost. Public oversight is not an obstacle to innovation; it is a safeguard against private interests redefining public goods on their own terms. – Yours, etc,
EOIN O’MAHONEY,
Blackrock,
Cork.
