In this letter to the editor, the author comments on legislation that has recently been introduced into Congress. Read more about the future of AM radio in cars here. Comment on this or any article. Email [email protected].
Bill Baker is the founder of the American Association of Information Radio Operators (AAIRO).
The American Association of Information Radio Operators is a national group of local and federal government officials who operate 10-watt AM TIS radio stations across the country solely to provide safety information to the public.
During nonemergency times, these noncommercial stations provide public service content such as parking, highway construction, special event and traffic information on a day-to-day basis. But when conventional forms of communication are compromised by wildfire, hurricanes or floods in specific areas, TIS radio stations serve as a critical backstop so emergency managers can keep the public informed.
Many TIS stations are situated in remote locations that do not have reliable cellular service and/or do not have a local broadcaster. For these reasons, the passage of the “AM for Every Vehicle Act” is of particular importance to our members and their communities. In short, the disappearance of AM radio receivers in vehicles would eliminate a service upon which millions of Americans rely daily.
Because a 10-watt signal is much more vulnerable to interference from any number of sources than the signal of even the smallest AM broadcast station, we encourage the writers of the final bill language to consider stipulating in their definition of AM reception that it be heard “clearly, without the presence of vehicle-generated interference.” At present, the bill only requires that an AM receiver be installed in each vehicle, without regard to the quality of reception.
Not only will TIS reception benefit from this clearer standard, but so will the long-range reception of the AM signals from the 50,000-watt stations that are responsible for carrying national EAS broadcasts.
We suggest the following addition to the “AM for Every Vehicle Act”:
“RECEIVE. — The term ‘receive’ means to receive a broadcast signal via over-the-air transmission and produce it clearly without the presence of vehicle-generated interference.”
On behalf of the AAIRO and the hundreds of agencies we serve, we strongly encourage Radio World readers to bring this point to members of Congress that serve their districts in an effort to further improve this time-sensitive, important legislation.
To quickly find your congresspeople, click this link and enter your zip code. Contact info for each congressperson in your district will appear.
– Bill Baker, American Association of Information Radio Operators
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