The House Commerce Committee canceled a planned vote last week on the bill that has become a top priority for the radio industry. The Committee was to have voted on whether to advance the proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act to the full House for approval, but the markup was called off at the last minute.
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) introduced the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R. 3413) plan to introduce a revised bill (H.R. 8449) that would finetune some of what has already been proposed. The legislation has not yet been publicly released, but the lawmakers said in April that it would include specifying that the new rules requiring AM radio’s inclusion the dashboard would be strictly for passenger cars and trucks, and not commercial vehicles.
If passed, the bill would still require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring access to AM broadcast stations in most of what rolls off assembly lines. Automakers would have at least two years to comply with the rule, although some manufacturers that produce fewer than 40,000 passenger cars for sale in the U.S. would have at least four years to meet the requirement. The previous version of the House bill introduced in May 2023 did not include any timetable for when carmakers would need to meet the AM mandate.
If a company opts not to have AM in the vehicles, they could face fines. And any that don’t have AM as standard equipment would be required to put a warning label on vehicles. The GAO would also be required to study the use of AM radio as a communications technology.
“AM Radio stations play a critical role in our nation’s communications network, which is why I remain concerned that some automakers plan to phase out AM radio from their electric vehicle models,” Pallone said in April. “When Superstorm Sandy pummeled New Jersey over ten years ago, some of my constituents went days without power and telephone and internet connections. Several of them relied on broadcast AM radio stations — often in their vehicles — to get up-to-the-minute information like where to get water, gas, and groceries.”
Meantime, Communications Daily reports that Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), who has been critical of mandating AM’s inclusion, plans to propose an amendment that would scrap the AM radio requirement if a study by the Government Accountability Office determines that there is an “incompatibility” between AM radio receivers “and advancement of future safety technology in motor vehicles, including on-vehicle sensors” and power systems. Or if it is “no longer required” for Emergency Alert System messages to reach drivers. Dingell is also proposing that the Department of Transportation would need to survey automakers on an annual basis to determine if AM radio is still compatible with its safety systems.
“We should also be critically examining the future of our emergency communications infrastructure to ensure it offers broad coverage, comprehensive information, and reliability during times of crisis,” Dingell said during a House hearing in May. She also said that her conversations with several domestic auto executives have led her to believe many are ready to commit to voluntarily keeping AM in vehicles.”
Support for the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act has been strong in Congress, with a bipartisan majority of lawmakers in favor of the bill. In the House, 254 have come out in favor of the bill, along with 62 in the Senate.
The bill has already made progress in the Senate, where a majority 61 lawmakers have said they support it. The Senate version (S. 1669) has been passed out of committee and is now in the hands of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for when it comes to a vote.