On Thursday morning, in a full executive session convened by Chair Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation officially passed the AM For Every Vehicle Act on to the Senate floor.
The Act, which would mandate AM radios in autos as a safety feature through the Department of Transportation, is now eligible for a full Senate vote. As of this week, the bill reached 27 cosponsors in the Senate, more than half of the 51 votes the legislation would need to pass by way of simple majority. Sen. Cantwell herself joined Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Todd Young (R-IN), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) on the Act.
There is currently no set voting date for the AM For Every Vehicle Act, as Congress prepares for a month’s recess starting Saturday and lasting through Labor Day.
The corresponding bill in the House of Representatives, introduced by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), picked up five cosponsors this week: Reps. Brendan Boyle (D-PA), Carol Miller (R-WV), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), and Elise Stefanik (R-NY). Those new voices bring the total number of cosponsors to 137, well past the halfway mark of 109 needed for a 219 simple majority vote.
Amidst ongoing debates about the role of AM radio in vehicles, Curtis LeGeyt, President of the National Association of Broadcasters, offered his latest insights into the situation during a recent call-in to Colorado’s Morning News with Marty Lenz & Jeana Gondek on iHeartMedia Denver’s KOA-AM. The complete conversation is available for listening here.
I am reminded of my small radio shack portable AM/FM radio combined with the helical tunable am antenna that allows me skywave reception on AM and bad weather lightning reception on FM. Both have their place JM and it was a shame those auto makers were allowed to exclude AM’s. Capacitors on Elon’s follies would prevent interference from their static. Now how about demanding utility companies use the same capacitors while having a minimum of 6 ohms to ground wire to stop electromagnetic interference toward AM radio…Jim Miller
I think it is because manufacturers started pulling AMs out of cars and trucks and did not pull FMs. You are correct. The bill should be amended while there is time.
If most AM radio stations HAD LIVE EMPLOYEES (aka News Departments) to provide emergency information, this would make complete sense but they don’t. Since AM can’t fulfill the requirements of providing meaningful emergency content, this mandate is a contrivance for a platform (AM) that is belly-up and gasping for air. Car manufacturers don’t want to waste dashboard space for a platform almost no one listens to and those who do tune in should never, ever be behind the wheel of an automobile #90Plus
Bullshit. Don’t paint all of us with that brush.
Why wouldn’t this bill include AM and FM? While we are at it, and doing the work of mandating this government licensed medium that has been shown to be essential in providing critical emergency information from local, state and national government, we should be including FM! Why wait to have to do this all over again when FM becomes the target. The government maintains the ownership of these frequencies and makes significant income from the users. Unlike other streaming services, licensees are required to provide local service and emergency information to the public, at a sizable cost to the licensee. The government of this country needs to ensure that they are available in all vehicles and voices are not silenced.
I think it is because manufacturers started pulling AMs out of cars and trucks and did not pull FMs. You are correct. The bill should be amended while there is time.