The list of AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act supporters grows with each passing day in the eleventh hour of the 118th Congress. The National Urban League has called on House and Senate leaders to pass the legislation on behalf of African-American communities.
In a December 9 letter to House Speaker Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, House Minority Leader Jeffries, and Senate Minority Leader McConnell, NUL President and CEO Marc Morial stressed the cultural significance of AM radio, particularly for minority language communities and rural areas.
“There are over 100 Black-owned radio stations that would be impacted if AM radios were removed from vehicles,” Morial writes. “Those radio stations not only provide a voice for Black America, but serve as a source of opportunity, creativity, and ownership for marginalized communities.”
Additionally, Morial highlighted the importance of AM radio during natural disasters, citing Hurricane Katrina’s effect on his home state of Louisiana as an example of how AM radio provided critical information and support to affected communities.
On the subject of AM’s value in an emergency, North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs President Joey Webb Sr. took a stand for the band on the International Fire Chiefs Association blog, discussing his experience with AM radio as Waynesville, NC, Fire Department Chief.
Webb wrote, “In September, over a million people were without power and cell service when Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina, but that did not stop broadcasters at WWNC, an AM radio station in Asheville, from staying on-air to keep their community connected and to serve as a ‘proxy dispatch service’ for their listeners. The station shared updates on where listeners could find essential supplies and gave real-time reports on road closures and government assistance.”
“Despite its essential role in our nation’s Emergency Alert System, some auto manufacturers have discussed removing AM radio from new models. This would be a dangerous decision,” he adds.
The NUL and Chief Webb’s support comes as part of a full-force, last-ditch effort to get the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act passed and mandated as a safety feature in all vehicles made or sold in the US as automakers try to remove the technology. In the last month, leaders from the NYPD, FDNY, American Consumer Institute, and Helene first responders have urged Congress to get the bill signed into law.
The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act has garnered 271 co-sponsors in the House and a supermajority of 63 in the Senate. The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill with a 45-2 vote, advancing it to the full House for consideration. Should the Act not pass before the 118th Congress ends in early January, then it will have to restart its journey under a fully Republican-led legislative branch.
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.
