RE: Some FAA guidance
Here in the UK, and the same applies to the rest of Europe, UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) are divided into two categories; which are recreational models whose rules are regulated by an accepted organisation that reports to the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) in the UK this is the BMFA (British Model Flying Association) and the equivalent in each EU country, and commercial organisations that must present directly to the CAA.
To date there is still no international agreement in place that defines the specific deployment and use of an UAS and it is assumed that all work on UAS are research and development projects that must be fully explained and demonstrated as part of the process to achieve a certificated of airworthyness so each UAS is treated on its own merits.
The most important concept to put forward to achieve a viable UAS here in the UK is the incorporation of a "sense and avoid" system which must demonstrate the equivalent ability of the "see and avoid" system of a manned aircraft of any design (fixed-wing,rotary,etc) and this would allow a fully functional UAS that can be flown under any circumstance and in any airspace.
Also I should point out that in the UK an UAS includes not just the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) but also a GCS (Ground Contol System) which is your uplink and downlink technology and the appropriate building/mobile vehicle you will be operating from. You will also require specific licences which are regulated by OFCOM to operate on certain radio frequencies for your up/down links etc, and these licence are separate from the CAA.
This is just an initial basic outline of what is going on here in the UK as there are no actual specifics available for working UAS because individuals and corporate business' are not working together or sharing information because of the R&D aspect of UAS's here in the UK, therefore until someone applies for a patent we are all on our own !!!
I personally am working on a rigid airship design for my UAS and my project is moving forward slowly so that I am not caught up in red tape, when in fact I am finding that I can influence decisions by the CAA with the appropriate R&D which is adding to their knowledge of practical UAV operation.
I therefore think that in the USA there must be similar restrictions and openings for UAS developers both small scale and commercial and that the FAA is not as restrictive as some people are making them out to be, it must be that inappropriate steps are being taken without full consideration of their project being taken in to account. So re-examine your work and see where you might be going wrong then present that data to your FAA and I am sure they would be grateful for your positive input.