A bipartisan coalition in the U.S. has introduced legislation that would direct federal regulators to mandate AM radio in new vehicles at no additional charge.
Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), along with Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, along with Representatives Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07), Rob Menendez (NJ-08), Bruce Westerman (AR-04), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) have introduced the AM for Every Vehicle Act.
The legislation follows a letter Senator Markey sent to 20 leading carmakers last year requesting they maintain access to AM broadcast radio in their vehicles. Of those 20 carmakers, eight – BMW, Ford, Mazda, Polestar, Rivian, Tesla, Volkswagen, and Volvo – had removed AM radio from their electric vehicles, with Ford and Volvo among those abandoning AM altogether moving forward.
The Act would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to issue a rule that requires automakers to maintain AM broadcast radio in their vehicles without a separate or additional fee or surcharge; and direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study whether alternative communication systems could fully replicate the reach and effectiveness of AM radio for alerting the public to emergencies.
“For decades, free AM broadcast radio has been an essential tool in emergencies, a crucial part of our diverse media ecosystem, and an irreplaceable source for news, weather, sports, and entertainment for tens of millions of listeners,” said Senator Markey, in a statement issued Wednesday. “Carmakers shouldn’t tune out AM radio in new vehicles or put it behind a costly digital paywall. I am proud to introduce the AM for Every Vehicle Act to ensure that this resilient and popular communication tool does not become a relic of the past.”
“I would think that if Elon Musk has enough money to buy Twitter and send rockets to space, he can afford to include AM radio in his Teslas,” added Representative Gottheimer. “Instead, Elon Musk and Tesla and other car manufacturers are putting public safety and emergency response at risk. The importance of AM radio during large-scale emergencies cannot be underestimated, and it has, without a doubt and without interruption, saved lives and kept our communities informed. When the cell phone runs out, the internet gets cut off, or the television doesn’t work because of no electricity or power to your house, you can still turn on your AM radio.
The Act has the support of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), which launched its “Depend on AM Radio” campaign in early April, as well as the National Association of Farm Broadcasters, and FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington, who said that “care should be taken to weigh the velocity of innovations against the stability of institutions.”
“I welcome any effort from Congress to secure the future of AM radio for the enduring benefit of the American people, and I invite my colleagues on the Commission and across the whole of government to raise their voices in support of this vital mission,” said Simington.
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