Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Congressman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) emphasized broadcasters’ critical role, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, and regulatory reform at the 2025 NAB State Leadership Conference, advocating for stronger local media and fairer industry regulations.
Senator Cantwell emphasized her longstanding support for broadcasters, citing her work with the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which expanded eligibility to 3,000 radio and TV stations. This extended to her efforts to pass the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, saying, “We are not going to stop until we get that legislation on the board. That’s it.” To that point, she underscored the importance of AM radio during natural disasters, particularly in the Pacific Northwest: “When you have a tsunami coming, or when Mount St. Helens can blow up, or when you can have torrential winds, we definitely need a communication system that works for emergencies.”
On regulatory reform, Cantwell urged the FCC to modernize rules to support broadcasters and voiced opposition to changes in advertising tax deductibility.
Given the environment on Capitol Hill, she did not hold back on political topics, comparing media suppression tactics by authoritarian regimes to recent actions in the US. “We shouldn’t be kicking the Associated Press out of the White House press polls because they refuse to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America,” she said.
She closed with a call to action: “Broadcast journalism, local journalism needs to not just survive, it needs to thrive. And I’m fighting for the entirety of these efforts to keep the American public informed.”
In his speech, Congressman Guthrie echoed these sentiments, praising the essential role of local broadcasters. “Many of the most important issues facing our constituents’ daily lives are local issues, and you all bring the most important news to our neighbors from close range,” he said. “Your local news broadcasts are accessible to people of all ages, and many families still rely on news for updates on school programming, community events, and when natural disasters strike.”
Guthrie shared a personal story of the December 2021 Southern Kentucky tornadoes to illustrate the impact of local radio and television.
He also emphasized the need for deregulation to allow broadcasters to compete fairly against Big Tech. “You want to compete without handcuffs. And that’s what we need to do for you. And we need to unleash that for you,” Guthrie said. “I believe that FCC Chair Carr understands this and that the suffocating regulations will set us back. And I think he is focusing on that.”
Guthrie praised the state broadcast groups in attendance, commenting, “Grassroots matter. You taking the time to come to DC and visit your member of Congress and telling them how important it is that you get to compete on the same level as [tech platforms and cable] matters,” he said.
“We’re going give you the opportunity to work and compete in a way that’s meaningful to you and your business list because you matter and you matter to us and you matter locally and that’s more important than anything,” Guthrie concluded.
