The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today took the first step toward allowing the expanded use of commercial drones in the U.S., though it stopped short of allowing drone delivery services like those that have been proposed by Amazon and Google (for now).

The FAA released a list of proposed rules; they will be open to public comment for 60 days before going into effect.

Before you envision a sky full of drones zipping through the air, though, the FAA's rules would require drone operators to keep their devices in sight at all times, though the FAA said it is open to comments on whether that rule should be relaxed at all. These unmanned aircraft would also have to stay below 500 feet, travel no faster than 100 miles per hour, and not fly over people, except for those involved in the flight.

The rules apply to drones that are 55 pounds or less, though the FAA is also asking for comment on a class of "micro" drones under 4.4 pounds.

The rules would ban drone operators from dropping objects from the device, which - for the time being - would prohibit Amazon PrimeAir from dropping off you Amazon packages, for example.

"We have tried to be flexible in writing these rules," said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. "We want to maintain today's outstanding level of aviation safety without placing an undue regulatory burden on an emerging industry."

A drone operator must be at least 17 years old and pass an aeronautical knowledge test to obtain a drone operator certificate. That would have to be renewed every two years, but a drone operator would not need a formal pilot's license.

Still, operators must use common sense and assess weather situations, stay away from manned aircraft, and not fly in restricted airspace.

"Technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace and this milestone allows federal regulations and the use of our national airspace to evolve to safely accommodate innovation," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement.

The rules will not apply to model aircraft or government aircraft operations. But separately, the White House issued a Presidential Memorandum to requires transparency and privacy considerations for data collected by government drones.

You might want to avoid flying at the White House, meanwhile. See more on that in the video below.

Comments on the rules can be submitted at regulations.gov. The FAA said it will also hold public meetings to discuss innovation and opportunities at the test sites and Center of Excellence.

In 2012, President Obama signed the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, which includes a mandate to loosen up the restrictions and integrate commercial drones into the National Airspace System. In 2013, the Transportation Department revealed its long-term plan for making that a reality, and has since been granting waivers and setting up test sites throughout the U.S. But today's rules are the first major step toward lifting restrictions on commercial drone use.

See some of the drones that made an appearance at CES in the slideshow above.