It’s been nearly three months since we’ve seen any action on the AM Radio For Every Vehicle Act, but as the end of the 118th Congress nears, broadcasters have a promising sign. The bill could be eligible for a full US House floor vote as early as this week.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), will hold a Full Committee Markup on Wednesday to review the AM Act, or H.R. 8449, along with 15 other bills addressing economic and energy security, expanding telehealth services, and promoting innovation for pediatric rare diseases.
The AM For Every Vehicle Act would mandate that AM radio be included for free in the dashboard of every car made or sold in the US as a safety feature. The Act is led in the House by Representatives Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), with the Senate version, or S. 1669, championed by Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ed Markey (D-MA).
This is the first major movement the legislation has seen since June 27, when a previous markup session was canceled minutes before it was due to begin. The Energy and Commerce Committee was set to consider the American Privacy Rights Act – which proposes new federal privacy standards – in that same session, but Chair Rodgers scrapped the entire meeting due to growing debate over the bill.
The delay has been problematic for the AM For Every Vehicle Act, which must pass before December or be reintroduced in the next session. But even behind the scenes, advocates have kept up the fight, including the NAB, the National Religious Broadcasters, state broadcast associations, and other trade associations.
In the past week, Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) has signed on as a co-sponsor in the Senate, bringing that supermajority of 63. Louisiana Representative Troy Carter (D) also signed on in the House, bringing the number of co-sponsors up to 262.
Recently, Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré, who led Joint Task Force Katrina, has joined Louisiana officials and first responders in urging House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise to pass the AM Act. The letter emphasizes the critical role of AM radio during emergencies, as seen during Hurricanes Katrina and Ida.
The September issue of Radio Ink magazine focuses on the importance of AM radio to our communities. To advocate for continued access to AM radio, a copy of this issue has been sent to every member of the US Senate.
The NAB has released new PSAs asking radio listeners to contact their members of Congress by texting AM to 52886, urging them to support legislation that ensures AM radio remains in cars. Get them for your station here.
You’re not wrong, Carter.
How about an act, “An FM license for every AM license”? That would have been great around the time of the 80-90 Docket.
Am I the only one who sees the irony in this? Broadcasters are turning off and abandoning their AM signals (WSB in Atlanta doesn’t even mention the 750 frequency in their positioners anymore), but yet they are the ones out their crying because the auto makers want to stop putting AM receivers in the cars.