Gregory S. McNeal

Professor of Law and Public Policy, Pepperdine University

Co-Founder, AirMap

Gregory S. McNeal

Professor of Law and Public Policy, Pepperdine University

Co-Founder, AirMap

Gregory S. McNeal, JD/PhD, is a tenured Professor of Law and Public Policy at Pepperdine University. He co-founded AirMap, a multinational corporation whose platform provides airspace information and services to drone operators, drone manufacturers, software developers and aviation stakeholders throughout the world, opening airspaces previously inaccessible to unmanned aircraft operations. Dr. McNeal is an expert on topics related to emerging technologies including smart cities, IOT, autonomous vehicles and drones and holds an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate. As an IAPP Certified Information Privacy Manager, he is also an expert on topics related to privacy and cybersecurity.

Dr. McNeal has on multiple occasions testified before Congress and state legislatures about the legal and policy issues associated with emerging technology and has aided state legislators, cities, municipalities, and executive branch officials in drafting legislation and ordinances related to technological advances. He served on the Federal Aviation Administration’s Micro Unmanned Aircraft Systems Aviation Rulemaking Committee, the Federal Aviation Administration’s UAS Registration Task Force, Aviation Rulemaking Committee, and the Remote Identification and Tracking Aviation Rulemaking Committee.

He is a nationally recognized commentator for Forbes, and a frequent keynote speaker at industry events and academic conferences related to technology, law, and public policy. He previously served as Chair of the Consumer Technology Association’s Industry Standards Working Group on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (R6 WG 23) and as a voting member of the ASTM technical committee creating scientific standards to govern unmanned aircraft and their operation. He has advised venture capital firms and other investors, drone start-ups, sensor manufacturers, law enforcement, consulting firms, insurance companies, and Fortune 500 companies about the legal and regulatory issues and benefits associated with emerging technologies.

A person listed as a contributor has spoken or otherwise participated in Regulatory Transparency Project events, publications, or multimedia presentations. A person's appearance on the website does not imply an endorsement or relationship between the person and the Regulatory Transparency Project. The Regulatory Transparency Project takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues. All expressions of opinion by a contributor are those of the contributor.

Contributions

Deep Dive Episode 198 – Eyes to The Sky: Privacy, Property, Innovation, and Commerce in The Age Of The Drone

September 20, 2021

The editor and two of the co-authors of a new book joined us for a panel discussion of key legal and policy issues in “The Age of the Drone.”

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Deep Dive Episode 51 – Emerging Tech and Regulation

May 13, 2019

In this episode, leading thinkers from across the emerging tech space discuss the regulatory environment for everything from drones to autonomous vehicles.

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Pepperdine Law Review’s 2019 Symposium: Emerging Technology and Regulation

March 21, 2019

Today’s regulatory landscape presents challenges for public and private entities. Private actors are often faced with conflicting, ambiguous, or altogether absent regulatory frameworks. Is it possible for them to overcome these challenges while delivering the creativity and innovation the marketplace demands? How can government regulators and legislators avoid stifling opportunity, function more efficiently, and enact and enforce sensible and effective regulatory schemes?

Pepperdine Law Review’s 2019 Symposium, in partnership with the Regulatory Transparency Project, explored these vital questions from both the academic and practical perspectives. The third panel of the symposium focused on the potential impact of regulatory policies on emerging technologies.

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Regulating Planesharing: A Conversation on Regulation and Innovation

May 23, 2018

In a world of drone delivery and self-driving cars, do innovation and regulation need to be at odds with one another? Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao and a variety of other experts weigh in on this critical discussion.

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Emerging Technology in Transportation

May 23, 2018

On Friday, May 18, 2018, the Regulatory Transparency Project and Capitol Hill Chapter of the Federalist Society co-sponsored a panel discussion on emerging technology legislation. Experts explored drone delivery, autonomous vehicles, flight sharing, and more.

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Collaborative Acceleration of Regulation and Innovation

March 12, 2018

Gregory S. McNeal, Professor of Law and Public Policy, Pepperdine University, and Co-Founder, AirMap, acknowledges that “almost every industry has to have some D.C. touchpoint.” In this video, he discusses “collaborative acceleration” and what it means in practice for both innovators and government agencies.

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Regulating Planesharing: Exploring Common Carriage and Expense Sharing

February 12, 2018

The legal fate of Flytenow, a ridesharing platform for small planes, was sealed by the FAA’s determination that it acted as a common carrier despite Flytenow’s claim that it was engaged in permissible expense sharing. What are common carriage and expense sharing? A variety of experts discuss the legal aspects of the Flytenow case.

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Regulating Planesharing: Flytenow and the FAA

January 8, 2018

Flytenow, founded by Alan Guichard and Matt Voska, was a ridesharing platform for small planes. Hailed as the “Uber of the Sky,” Flytenow aimed to serve as an online bulletin board to connect pilots of small planes with those willing to offset the pilots’ costs. However, the FAA deemed the online nature of Flytenow to be impermissible and Flytenow was unable to take flight. Learn the story of Flytenow in this Fourth Branch video.

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Deep Dive Episode 12 – Can Government Regulation Keep Pace with Emerging Technology?

October 5, 2017

Greg McNeal (Pepperdine University) and Adam Thierer (Mercatus Center) discuss the law and policy frameworks impacting emerging technologies.

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