The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), Designation-Restrict the Operation of Unmanned Aircraft in Close Proximity to a Fixed Site Facility, to enable the establishment of unmanned aircraft or drone no fly zones in proximity to certain critical infrastructure and mass gathering sites on May 6, 2026. Given the breadth of the eligible sites for drone flight restrictions, this proposed rule, if finalized, could dramatically alter the nature of drone operations in many parts of the United States.

Link to Click here to read the full GT Alert. Click here to read the full GT Alert.

Photo of Joel Roberson Joel Roberson

Joel E. Roberson is a Shareholder in the Government Law & Policy Practice providing firm clients with federal lobbying, advocacy, and strategic counseling services. Joel’s practice focuses on representing clients at the intersection between transportation and technology, as well as issues related to…

Joel E. Roberson is a Shareholder in the Government Law & Policy Practice providing firm clients with federal lobbying, advocacy, and strategic counseling services. Joel’s practice focuses on representing clients at the intersection between transportation and technology, as well as issues related to food, agriculture and over-the-counter drugs. Joel represents Fortune 500 companies, technology start-ups, not-for-profit organizations, and trade associations across several industries. Joel assists clients to identify federal policy blockers to growth and assists his clients in working to overcome such challenges through bipartisan coalition building, strategy development, legislative drafting, and high-stakes negotiation on behalf of clients navigating federal legislative and regulatory processes.

A significant portion of Joel’s practice involves advising technology clients on emerging public policy and regulatory matters. He counsels clients on issues related to self-driving cars, unmanned aircraft systems, artificial intelligence, intelligent sensors, privacy, data brokers, and data breach response. Joel works regularly with Congress, the White House, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Federal Aviation Administration to establish new policies that enable the safe integration of autonomous vehicles, drones, and advanced air mobility into the national transportation framework. He also prepares clients for congressional testimony, including testimony related to congressional investigations into data breaches. His work in this area extends to artificial intelligence policy, counter-drone authorities, and remote identification requirements for unmanned aircraft. Joel has written and spoken frequently on these topics, authoring dozens of publications and presentations at conferences hosted by organizations such as the American Bar Association, the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the National Press Photographers Association.

Joel also maintains an active practice advising health care and nutrition clients on public policy and regulatory issues. He works with clients on matters involving the regulation of food, pharmaceuticals, and over-the-counter drugs. Joel has helped clients enact legislation that reformed the way the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves and regulates over-the-counter drug products, including sunscreens and medical gases. He advises clients on food safety compliance, including implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act and the Farm Bill. Joel has drafted health care legislation, provisions of FDA reform bills, and amendments to pending legislation that were ultimately enacted into law. He also assists clients in preparing public comments submitted to federal agencies and in building internal regulatory compliance programs.

Joel’s understanding of the legislative process is informed by his prior service in Congress. He worked within the Leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he prepared legislation for floor debate, developed debate strategy, created messaging, and distributed floor briefings for members of Congress and congressional staff. He also served as a law clerk for the House Judiciary Committee, where he prepared members of Congress to debate the first reauthorization of the Patriot Act.

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Photo of Daniel Sennott Daniel Sennott

Dan Sennott, Co-Chair of Greenberg Traurig’s National Security Group, draws on nearly three decades of national security and defense experience to provide his clients with pragmatic, actionable advice on working with the Department of War and Congress. He represents clients across the full…

Dan Sennott, Co-Chair of Greenberg Traurig’s National Security Group, draws on nearly three decades of national security and defense experience to provide his clients with pragmatic, actionable advice on working with the Department of War and Congress. He represents clients across the full spectrum of the defense industrial base in public policy, government oversight, and regulatory matters. He routinely advises companies on appropriations, acquisition policy, advanced manufacturing, dual-use emerging technology, quantum communications, drone regulation, and government contracts. Dan regularly appears before the Department of War, each of the U.S. armed services, and the congressional defense and veterans’ affairs committees. His practice draws on more than two decades of military service and senior roles in the federal government.

Dan advocates for clients on a range of defense-related regulatory and legislative matters in the national security, defense, health care, and veterans’ affairs sectors. In addition to representing large and medium sized defense contractors, he also counsels start-ups that are new entrants to the defense industrial base, providing advice on compliance, facility security clearance issues, and industrial security requirements. He also advises on congressional investigations and government oversight processes, helping clients understand and respond to the legal and policy dimensions of these proceedings.

Before entering private practice, Dan served as the minority staff director for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services, where he was responsible for the development, negotiation, and passage of the annual National Defense Authorization Act. He previously served as the minority general counsel for the same committee, advising on national security law and congressional process, and as counsel and staff lead for the Military Personnel subcommittee. Dan served in the U.S. Army for more than twenty years as an armor officer and judge advocate, with assignments as a prosecutor, law professor, legislative liaison, and chief of military personnel law. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, and the Meritorious Service Medal.

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Photo of Matthew Satterley˘ Matthew Satterley˘

Matthew Satterley counsels clients on federal and international policy matters in the transportation and emerging technologies industry. He has over a decade of aviation and aerospace experience. His work includes drones and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned aircraft system traffic management (UTM), and…

Matthew Satterley counsels clients on federal and international policy matters in the transportation and emerging technologies industry. He has over a decade of aviation and aerospace experience. His work includes drones and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned aircraft system traffic management (UTM), and emerging transportation technologies. He advises clients navigating the regulatory and legislative landscape in the United States and abroad, drawing on years of experience in government relations, congressional advocacy, and executive branch engagement.

Matthew helps clients develop and execute federal policy strategies involving drone integration, airspace management, and advanced air mobility. He has supported the creation of the first UTM implementation in the United States across several government and industry programs, including the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC), UAS Integration Pilot Program, and UTM Pilot Program. He has also advised on emerging UTM programs in Australia, Finland, France, Ireland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Matthew holds a Remote Pilot Certificate.

Previously, Matthew led government relations for a company developing drone delivery and UTM systems, where he oversaw corporate policy initiatives, directed federal advocacy, and helped define new air traffic management frameworks for drone operations in the United States and Europe. He supported the launch of uncrewed operations in six countries and engaged with political, policy, and regulatory stakeholders across three continents. He also served as head of federal policy and government affairs for an emerging transportation technology company. Earlier in his career, Matthew served as deputy chief of staff and legislative director for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he interpreted and drafted legislative proposals in support of the House Committee on Transportation’s Subcommittee on Aviation and House Armed Services Committee.

Matthew has served in board and leadership roles across multiple drone working groups, including the FAA’s Remote Identification and Tracking Aviation Rulemaking Committee and the Drone Advisory Committee. He served as co-president of the Global UTM Association’s board of directors and has served as vice president of Drone Alliance Europe. He is a founding member of the US UTM Implementation group and has participated in the ICAO Advanced Air Mobility Study Group. Matthew is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events worldwide on topics including drone integration, remote identification, UTM implementation, and airspace management.

˘ Not admitted to the practice of law.

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Photo of Misha Lehrer˘ Misha Lehrer˘

Misha Lehrer is a national security and defense policy advisor who represents clients before Capitol Hill and the executive branch, with deep expertise before the congressional defense committees and the U.S. Department of Defense. With more than a decade of experience across both…

Misha Lehrer is a national security and defense policy advisor who represents clients before Capitol Hill and the executive branch, with deep expertise before the congressional defense committees and the U.S. Department of Defense. With more than a decade of experience across both the public and private sectors, Misha designs and executes high-impact government relations strategies with the goals of shaping federal policy, securing funding, and positioning clients for success in the defense marketplace, particularly across emerging technologies, autonomous systems, dual-use innovation, as well as clients working to achieve greater quality of life for service members and their families.

Misha is a trusted advisor to defense and national security stakeholders navigating complex legislative, regulatory, and funding environments. He leads advocacy on matters involving defense acquisition and sustainment, industrial base policy, U.S.-China strategic competition, and the integration of emerging and dual-use technologies into national security missions. He also helps commercial and venture-backed companies successfully enter and scale within the defense sector. A significant portion of his practice involves leading client strategy throughout the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes the yearly defense budget and sets policy for the Department of Defense. He also structures defense appropriations, aligning client capabilities within congressional and DOD priorities.

Misha previously served as a legislative and economic aide to U.S. senator Chris Murphy, advising on matters before the Senate Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. In that role, he led policy portfolios spanning federal funding and manufacturing, which included workforce development, economic development, Made in America policy, trade, and defense industrial base resilience. He played a key role in advancing billions of dollars in federal funding priorities through the appropriations process, including drafting legislative language and funding requests across all 12 appropriations bills. He also served as an economic advisor, delivering analysis on national and global economic conditions and shaping policy recommendations. Earlier in his career, he worked as a special assistant to the same senator and served as an intelligence fellow at a private military company and at a public policy think tank.

Misha was selected for the National Security Fellows Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in 2026. He regularly writes and speaks on defense policy, particularly analysis on the intersection of federal legislation and the defense industrial base.

˘ Not admitted to the practice of law.

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