Commercial drones are prohibited currently from flying over populated areas out of safety concerns. But that’s about to change.

The Federal Aviation Administration released recommendations Wednesday from a government-sponsored committee that would make it legal for drones adhering to certain safety standards to fly over crowds for commercial purposes.

Such a move would clear the way for drones to film events and deliver packages -- two of the main potential commercial use cases for drones. (It’s currently legal for noncommercial drone owners to fly over people.) And it would come as a big win for drone manufacturers like DJI, who have been increasingly trying to capture the enterprise market with higher-end drones.

The report “recommends common-sense ways to ensure drones used for commercial and organizational purposes can safely fly over people,” according to DJI spokesperson Adam Lisberg.

But not everyone is thrilled.

The Academy of Model Aeronautics, a community group for model aircraft users, says more drones over people’s heads is going to contribute to a culture of drone hysteria.

“We are concerned that allowing some unmanned aircraft to operate over and within close proximity to people will heighten the anxiety of a society that is already hypersensitive to the introduction of drones into our communities,” said Dave Mathewson, executive director of the AMA, in a news release.

Although the safety standards recognize that drones may hit people if flying overhead, the intent is to ensure that if crashes do occur, the likelihood of any resulting injury is minimal.

The FAA committee recommends that drones be classified under four categories based on weight or impact energy. Drones weighing under a half-pound could fly unrestricted, while drones weighing more than that could also legally fly over crowds if their manufacturers prove the risk of injury is 1% or less.

Drones that aren’t able to demonstrate that the risk of serious injury is 1% or less would be placed in more restrictive categories and still wouldn't be able to fly over people.

Manufacturers would be responsible for certifying with the FAA that their drones meet that 1% safety standard. Each manufacturer would have to carry out their own safety tests, similar to how auto makers conduct crash tests on their vehicles.

The FAA committee sought to ensure in its recommendations that the onus of meeting the safety standards would fall on drone makers, not the FAA.

“We don’t want to have bulky bureaucratic systems and force the FAA to staff an organization that has to test new products that come out,” said Nancy Egan, who co-chaired the recommendation committee.