Overview
The future of delivery is already here, so why isn’t it at your door? Drones can carry a burger, a package, or even blood to a hospital faster and more efficiently than a car, yet most Americans still cannot get a drone delivery. John Stossel talks with Adam Thierer, author of Permissionless Innovation, about how confusing federal regulations have kept delivery drones grounded, and he asks what the United States risks if it keeps innovators waiting for the government’s permission.

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Lesson Insights

Grade level and subjects
• Recommended for grades 6-12
• Subjects: Business, Government, Science / Technology
• Works in Classroom, Hybrid, and Homeschool settings

What students will learn
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
• recall how the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s “beyond visual line of sight” rule limits where delivery drones are allowed to fly;
• summarize why companies such as Amazon have struggled to expand drone delivery in the United States;
• examine how requiring government permission before innovating affects the pace of new technology; and
• assess whether the safety benefits of drone regulations justify the cost of slower innovation.

Key concepts and terms covered
Beyond Visual Line of Sight, Certification, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Free Market, Innovation, Permissionless Innovation, Regulation, and Unintended Consequences.

Sample discussion questions
• According to the video, what are some of the advantages of drone delivery over traditional delivery by car or truck?
• What is the “beyond visual line of sight” rule, and why does it make expanding drone delivery so difficult?
• Who benefits, and who bears the costs, when the government requires permission before a new technology can be used?
• The video shows people objecting to drone noise and to invasions of privacy. Are these worries reasonable, and how might companies address them?
• Weighing safety, noise, privacy, and innovation, how would you design rules for delivery drones that balance these competing interests?

What’s in the free teacher’s guide
This printable 19-page Teacher’s Guide includes a lesson description, learning objectives, key vocabulary, a fill-in viewing guide with answer key, discussion and analysis questions, classroom activities, and the full video transcript.

Related resources
• The Fight Against Food Trucks — Follows entrepreneurs battling city rules meant to keep food trucks off the streets — a real-world look at how permission requirements can stifle new competition, echoing the drone story’s central complaint.
• War on Electric Scooters — When dockless scooters suddenly appeared on city streets, some officials rushed to ban them. A close parallel to the drone case: how governments react to a brand-new technology, and whether the regulation helps or hurts the public.
• Lab-Grown Meat is Coming to Your Supermarket — A new technology promises meat grown without slaughtering animals — but will regulators allow it to reach your plate? A strong companion to the drone story about innovation waiting on government approval.
• Lessons from Africa — The drone video notes that Zipline delivers blood by drone across Rwanda; this resource explores what wealthier nations can learn from entrepreneurship and innovation in Africa.