The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act is one step closer to protecting Americans, passing out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce following a Full Committee markup on Wednesday, though with a weighty new amendment that broadcasters may not like.
The markup came at the end of a long and contentious docket, following six additional measures, including proposals on rural healthcare, telehealth services, and transparency in generic drug applications.
Backed by Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), HR 979 would require automakers to include AM radio as standard equipment in all new vehicles, including electric models, framing AM as a safety feature rather than an optional add-on.
Yet another concession was made to automakers in the name of getting the bill to the House floor for a vote.
As proposed by Rep. Bilirakis, the committee adopted an amendment shortening the bill’s sunset from ten to eight years. As revised, the Secretary of Transportation’s authority to enforce the in-vehicle AM requirement will automatically expire eight years after enactment unless Congress renews it, creating an earlier checkpoint for lawmakers to review costs, technology, and implementation.
The amendment was met with begrudgment by many supporters on the committee, who all agreed that the additional compromise was mandatory to getting the Act across the finish line.
Should Congress pass the AM Act in 2025, the Department of Transportation must publish the implementing rule in 2026. Automakers would then face staggered deadlines to start including AM. The biggest producers must start by 2028–2029, mid-size by 2029–2030, and smaller manufacturers by 2030 or 2031. With the new expiration coming in 2033, those later cohorts would only operate under the mandate for two to five years before the legislation comes up for review.
The bipartisan bill has amassed 300 House co-sponsors and 61 in the Senate.
In a statement released after the vote, NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt said, “We thank Chairmen Guthrie and Bilirakis, Ranking Member Pallone, and members of the committee for overwhelmingly advancing this bipartisan legislation. Policymakers and consumers alike recognize AM radio’s essential role in delivering emergency alerts and reliable information when it matters most. We urge House and Senate leadership to move swiftly to pass this bill and preserve this vital service for the American public.”
Despite this overwhelming legislative backing, a contingent of lobbyists for the American Music Fairness Act spent their afternoon silently in the Rayburn House Office Building to press their demands for new fees on local broadcasters. Sporting “No Radio Without Royalties” shirts, the group continued the messaging of royalty collectors seeking to extract additional money from an industry that provides a free public resource during emergencies and community crises more reliable than any other medium.
AMFA currently has 11 co-sponsors in the House and 5 in the Senate, with only five new supporters since March.
With committee approval secured, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act now awaits floor scheduling in the House by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA). On the Senate side, the companion legislation awaits action from Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).
The NAB has released PSAs in English and Spanish asking radio listeners to contact their members of Congress by texting AM to 39179, urging them to support legislation that ensures AM radio remains in cars. Get them for your station here.
As we welcome the hopeful passage of this, the FCC must begin a long-term plan for transitioning AM stations to FM. FM translators with 250 watts and secondary licenses aren’t the answer. Vast improvements in FM receiver technology (narrower I.F. circuitry) now permit stations to be closer together on the dial without adjacent channel interference. This would resolve not forcing AM stations out of business as would happen without a long-term plan. However, even this wouldn’t replace the need for wide-area coverage provided by high-power AM stations that have separate tower sites thus remaining more reliable in cases of emergency whereas many FM and television stations are co-located, resulting in that if one station is out of service, they are all more likely to be.
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