FAA close on long-awaited drone rules, but key decisions likely to come from Congress

The Obama administration is on the verge of proposing long-awaited rules for commercial drone operations in U.S. skies, but key decisions on how much access to grant drones are likely to come from Congress.

Federal Aviation Administration officials have said they want to release proposed rules before the end of this month, but other government and industry officials say they are likely to be delayed until January.

Meanwhile, a ban on commercial drone flights remains in place except for a small number of companies that have received FAA exemptions. Even after rules are proposed, it is likely to be two or three years before regulations become final.

Drone industry officials say that's too long to wait, and they want Congress to step in.