Amazon couldn't be happier.

Roughly four years ago, CEO Jeff Bezos surprised investors during a December, 2013 appearance on CBS' "60 Minutes" when he revealed that Amazon was testing delivery via "octocopter" drones, but that the program wouldn't be ready for another "four or five years."

Unfortunately, US regulators had other ideas: Initially, the Federal Aviation Administration stubbornly blocked Amazon from testing its drone technology in the US - forcing it to shift its research to the UK, where it quickly developed. Bezos responded by threatening to move even more of Amazon's research to the United Kingdom.

Back in December 2016, the company revealed that it had successfully completed its first commercial drone delivery (in England, of course). During the intervening years, incremental updates about the program's progress were released in drips and drabs.

Now, after a nearly half-decade wait, the FAA is reportedly preparing to approve "limited package deliveries" using drones during the coming months, according to the Wall Street Journal. Ten pilot programs have reportedly been given permission to begin commercial package deliveries, WSJ said. Furthermore, Amazon is pushing the agency to allow detailed designs on a drone (presumably to paint them with the Amazon logo) and other operating rules.

While the 10 participants weren't named, some "proponents of drone delivery" told WSJ they expect to be ready to operate by the summer, according to FAA official Jay Merkle. And the Amazon executive in charge of the company's "Amazon Air" program told WSJ that the company could be ready to begin drone deliveries in certain test markets early next year.

Amazon officials declined to provide details. But Gur Kimchi, vice president of the company's package-delivery organization called Prime Air, was hopeful that necessary approvals would be secured by 2019. Responding to questions on the sidelines of the conference about probable locations and timelines to initiate delivery flights, he repeatedly said "ask me next year."

Earl Lawrence, who runs the FAA's drone-integration office, had a similar upbeat message. Airborne deliveries may be "a lot closer than many of the skeptics think," he told last week's gathering. Some experimental efforts already are under way and "they're getting ready for full-blown operations," he said in an interview. "We're processing their applications," and "I would like to move as quickly as I can."