It hopes to implement this system by as early as Christmas, and says that those who do not register their drones will face fines.

The DOT's announcement raises all sorts of questions, few of which the agency was able to answer. It's clear that the agency, which oversees the Federal Aviation Administration, wants to crack down on the unsafe use of drones, and it's looking like it's going to try to bypass as much of the traditional rulemaking process as is possible.

Effective immediately, the DOT and several drone interest groups will begin outlining how the registration process will work "with the goal of having some rules in place by the middle part of December," DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx said.