Congress has just over two months to pass the AM Radio For Every Vehicle Act and automakers haven’t given up their lobbying on Capitol Hill to make sure they can remove access to free entertainment and life-saving information, according to Q3 disclosures.
As of the filing deadline on October 21, six automakers spent $5.84 million in the third quarter with ties to squelching the Act – the lowest quarterly spend of the year. $7.40 million was spent in Q1, while $7.06 million was spent on lobbying in Q2.
General Motors again spent the most, accounting for $3.05 million alone, employing the help of Missy Edwards Strategies, Fierce Government Relations, BL Partners Group, LLC, and four more lobbying firms outside of its in-house team. Toyota was next with a total of $1,661,648, followed by Ford’s lobbying spent of $574,216.
Honda significantly cut its lobbying budget, dropping from $1.1 million in Q2 to $400,000. Meanwhile, electric vehicle manufacturers Tesla and Rivian – among the first to remove AM access from their models – spent $120,000 and $40,000, respectively.
The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, championed by Representatives Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) in the House, and Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ed Markey (D-MA) in the Senate, aims to mandate AM radios in all vehicles sold or manufactured in the US at no extra cost as a safety feature.
Automakers are simply hoping to stall the legislation until the 118th Congress adjourns. Despite strong backing, with 262 co-sponsors in the House and a supermajority in the Senate, the bill still awaits votes in both chambers.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton underscored the need for radio access during emergencies..
Iowa AG Brenna Bird and Florida AG Ashley Moody, joined by ten other state attorneys general, penned a letter urging Congress to support the legislation. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson noted, “I’ve been touring states affected by Hurricane Helene, and I and so many others can attest to the importance of AM radio at a time like this to get critical information to the people in a way that they can’t access it in any other.”
Help ensure that Americans retain access to a vital lifeline in times of crisis as automakers try to remove it. Contact your members of Congress by texting AM to 52886, urging them to support legislation that ensures AM radio remains in cars.
If your station is not running the NAB PSAs asking your listeners to reach out to their representatives, get them here.
Sponsored primarily by Republican representatives who love the fact that AM radio is a bastion of conservative talk, this has little to do with life saving or public safety. The Nation’s FM station are more than capable of carrying that weight.
Write your congressmen and ask them to INCREASE the income tax on automakers to double the amount of their contributions to seek the demise of AM in automobile radios (on top of what they already pay in corporate tax). Punish the automakers!!