AT&T wants to keep order in drone-filled skies

When it comes to drones, AT&T wants to be in the driver's seat. The massive U.S. carrier is already using drones to inspect its cell towers and may someday put cells on drones to boost service at big events. But it's also eyeing a major role in the way others use drones. At the heart of it all is AT&T's network, technology executives from the company said Friday at AT&T's Shape conference in San Francisco. They see the network as a future backbone for command and control of drones or even a drone traffic management system. Air traffic control is one of the big challenges looming over the future of commercial and recreational drones.