WASHINGTON (CN) — A panel of automotive industry experts and advocates on Tuesday sought to dissuade lawmakers from moving forward with a bill that would require new vehicles to be fitted with analog radio receivers, despite growing bipartisan momentum behind the measure.
Both the House and Senate are considering versions of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, which would direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring automakers to continue building vehicles with AM radio access.
The legislative push comes as some auto manufacturers are considering phasing out the technology as in-vehicle entertainment systems become increasingly digital.
Lawmakers say consistent access to AM radio — which has a lower frequency and can travel longer distances than FM radio waves — is vital during emergency situations when other forms of communication are unavailable. They’ve also pointed out that the strength of AM signals is important for Americans living in remote areas where other services are spotty.
“Americans deserve to have the highest number of options for how they receive information in their homes and in their cars,” said Florida Representative Gus Bilirakis during a hearing Tuesday in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Illinois Representative Jan Schakowsky concurred. “AM radio is there when other platforms fail,” said the Democratic lawmaker.
Schakowsky added that AM radio is particularly useful for senior citizens, who she said make up much of its consumer base. Non-English broadcasting is also prevalent on AM signals, she observed.
Industry experts, however, told lawmakers Tuesday that congressional action on AM radio would trample auto manufacturers, particularly as they shift towards electric vehicles.
“We don’t believe it’s an appropriate role of Congress to mandate the inclusion of a century-old technology in 21st century cars,” said Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association.
AM radio signals can interfere with how electric vehicles operate, Shapiro pointed out, which is why some automakers are considering abandoning the technology. Forcing automakers to include AM receivers will increase development costs for electric vehicles, add unnecessary weight and force design tradeoffs, he said.
John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, agreed, arguing that AM radio is not vital for public safety and that the proposed legislation represents an effort by Congress to support the business model of analog broadcasting.
The issue of automakers phasing out AM radio is not a pressing issue, he contended, pointing out that 99% of the 286 million vehicles on U.S. roads are fitted with analog radio access.
“Even if every automaker discontinued analog AM radio starting at this moment,” Bozzella said, “it would take more than 30 years for the fleet of vehicles to turn over and for analog AM radio to fully phase out.”
Manufacturers make public safety alerts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System standard in all their vehicles at no cost to consumers, he said, adding that automakers support a “clear disclosure” if a vehicle does not come equipped with AM radio features.
Further, he contended, congressional action on an AM radio mandate could set a precedent allowing the Transportation Department and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to regulate other types of vehicle equipment.
“You could like the AM radio mandate today,” Bozzella said, “but you might not like the next set of equipment requirements from a future Congress under this authority.”
Several witnesses invited to testify at Tuesday's hearing detailed the impact that doing away with AM radio might have on their communities.
Melody Spann-Cooper, CEO of Chicago-based Midway Broadcasting Corporation — which provides programming for the city’s Black and Latino communities— called AM radio a "lifesaver".
She explained that a single analog radio station can be heard as far as 700 miles away, and that the signal can travel through buildings and mountains where FM stations can’t. That signal has been the most reliable source of information, she argued, during natural disasters like the recent spate of tornadoes in the Midwest and Hurricane Sandy.
“How unfortunate would that be,” she said, “that you would take something away that not only entertains but is for safety purposes — and more reliable than any of the sources that are available now?”
Justin Ahasteen, executive director of the Navajo Nation, explained that access to AM radio signals is central to the public safety and cohesion of Indigenous communities across the country. The Navajo Nation covers nearly 27,000 square miles, he said, and FM radio signals simply don’t cover that entire area the way that analog channels do.
“We would have to build dozens of radio towers across the Navajo Nation in order to get that kind of coverage with FM stations,” Ahasteen said, “which is economically impractical. The only real solution is AM radio.”
If AM radio is phased out from car radios, he said, the Navajo Nation and Indigenous communities will be disproportionately affected.
“I’m not an expert on how vehicles are created or what goes into their design and implementation — but I am an expert on being Native American,” said Ahasteen. “I can tell you that the stark reality of our nation is that we are the 1% that is going to be affected if AM radio is removed from cars. We cannot afford to undermine the existing tools that serve our community so effectively.”
Despite reservations from the industry, the push to require AM radios in new cars appears to be gaining steam in Congress.
Over in the Senate, Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey and Texas Senator Ted Cruz announced Tuesday that they had secured 60 votes for the upper chamber’s version of the proposed legislation.
“Democrats and Republicans are tuning in to the millions of listeners, thousands of broadcasters and countless emergency management officials who depend on AM radio in their vehicles,” the lawmakers said in a statement. “AM radio is a lifeline for people in every corner of the United States to get news, sports and local updates in times of emergencies.”
Follow @BenjaminSWeiss
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
