The bill that would mandate AM capability in new vehicles sold in the United States took a major step forward today.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee today voted 45 to 2 to clear the way for the AM Radio in Every Vehicle Act (H.R. 8449) to get a full House vote.
If passed by the full House, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation would issue a new rule requiring automakers to provide access to AM broadcast stations in their motor vehicles. The two dissenting votes by committee members came from Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and John Curtis (R-Utah).
The legislation has been submitted as an amendment to the must-pass defense authorization bill, according to a report from Axios.
Auto manufacturers would have at least two years to comply with the rule if the bill becomes law, or face a civil penalty. Manufacturers that produce fewer than 40,000 passenger cars for sale in the U.S., however, would have four years to meet the new requirement.
A vote in the full house could come in the next few weeks with Congress currently in session. Alternatively, a vote could be delayed until the lame-duck session after November’s election, according to observers.
[Related: “AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act to Receive Minor Technical Update“]
National Association of Broadcasters President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt applauded Wednesday’s move in the House: “NAB is grateful for the leadership of Chairs Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Gus Bilirakis, Ranking Members Frank Pallone and Jan Schakowsky and the committee members for their recognition of AM radio’s unique and vital role in protecting public safety,” he wrote in a statement.
The AM bill has received strong bipartisan support with 262 House members backing the AM radio mandate. The Senate version of the bill (S. 1669) passed out of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in 2023 but has not come up for a full vote.
U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), co-sponsor of the Senate bill, said he will press forward to see that his House and Senate colleagues enact the bipartisan, public safety legislation.
“With hurricane season in full swing, it has never been more important to pass the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act and ensure that this life-saving communication tool remains in vehicles,” Markey said in a prepared statement.
[Read more stories about the future of AM radio in cars]
At least several automakers in recent years have introduced new models without AM radio capabilities, including electric vehicles from Tesla, Polestar and Rivian. The car manufacturers say AM radio is incompatible with EVs, and cite the high costs of protecting the car radio from electromagnetic interference from the powertrain.
Consumer Technology Association CEO Gary Shapiro said today’s vote by the House committee is a historic first step by Congress in mandating an “ancient technology” which burdens electric vehicles.
“More, it would stifle innovation, impose unnecessary costs on automakers and increase prices for consumers,” he said in a statement. “This proposed legislation is like mandating fax machines on the International Space Station, and Congress should spend what little session time that remains addressing real problems, like the Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Research In Vehicle Evolution (SELF DRIVE) Act.”
