A Senate bill aimed at saving and protecting AM radio in U.S. cars is getting strong bipartisan support.
Last Thursday the Democrat-controlled Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted overwhelming to pass the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2023 (S. 1669).
The new act would require automakers to include AM broadcast radio in their new vehicles at no additional charge.
Senate Republicans on the committee led by Ted Cruz championed the law.
"AM radio serves a critical function during emergencies," Cruz, R-Texas, said in a news release.
"It reliably gets important information to the public, which is why several former FEMA administrators and representatives of the emergency response community have called for AM radio to remain in vehicles."
The AM Radio Act also had strong Democratic support, with only Michigan Democrat Gary Peters voting against the bill.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., led committee Democrats in supporting the bill.
"Minnesotans look to AM radio for everything from news and weather updates to music and sports scores," Klobuchar said. "It's critical to protect AM radio for our communities, but right now, it's on the chopping block.
"That's why I've been working to pass the AM for Every Vehicle Act, and now this legislation is one step closer to becoming law."
Earlier this year, Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., wrote to eight automakers, including Ford, who were removing AM radios from their new cars, harshly criticizing the move.
"Broadcast AM radio is an essential part of our emergency alert infrastructure, but the responses to my letter show that far too many automakers are ignoring the critical safety benefits of AM radio," Markey said.
He said claims Internet radio was replacing AM radio were not accurate and that drivers in an emergency "might not have access to the internet and could miss critical safety information."
Conservatives who support the legislation see industry moves as targeting them, since conservative talk shows and religious programming have been mainstays for AM radio for decades.
The bipartisan bill will now advance to the full Senate for consideration. The House has a similar bipartisan version of the bill which is being considered in committee.
The National Association of Broadcasters said it was pleased with the bill.
"This legislation will ensure that the tens of millions of AM radio listeners across the country retain access to local news, diverse community programming and emergency information," NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt said in a news release.
After pressure from lawmakers, Ford reversed course in May and said it would offer AM radio in all 2024 Ford and Lincoln model vehicles.
"Customers can currently listen to AM radio content in a variety of ways in our vehicles — including via streaming — and we will continue to innovate to deliver even better in-vehicle entertainment and emergency notification options in the future," Ford CEO Jim Farley tweeted May 23.
The legislation will require any automaker that sells vehicles without access to AM broadcast radio before the effective date of the regulation issued by the National Highway and Transportation Safety Board to clearly disclose to consumers that the vehicle lacks access to AM broadcast radio.
The Senate bill also directs the Government Accountability Office to study the reach and effectiveness of AM broadcast radio for alerting the public to emergencies relative to other technologies.
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