Support is building for a bipartisan bill reintroduced Wednesday by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Ed Markey, D-Mass., requiring automakers to maintain AM broadcast radio in new vehicles at no extra charge.
Tesla is the most notable automaker who has stopped putting AM radios in its electric vehicles because it, and others, have claimed the motors interfere with the audio quality of the signal and insist that FM and satellite radio are enough. Ford announced it would stop installing AM radio receivers, then relented and restored them through at least the 2025 model year.
But Cruz has said AM radio is consistently the most reliable form of communication during weather disasters or power outages. The “AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act” would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require automakers to maintain AM broadcast radio in their new vehicles at no extra charge.
The bill has 40 co-sponsors, including 13 Democrats and the upper chamber’s two independents, Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine, who caucus with Democrats. A companion House bill has yet to be reintroduced.
The National Religious Broadcasters, an international association of Christian communicators, said Wednesday it backs the bill.
“NRB welcomes the introduction of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act to the 119th Congress,” said NRB president & CEO Troy A. Miller in a news release. “Every day, our members broadcast messages of faith, family, and freedom on the AM band. AM radio uplifts, entertains, and informs listeners all over the country and supports live, local, lifesaving emergency communications in times of disaster.”
At the 2024 NRB International Christian Media Convention in Nashville, then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pledged to “do my part to protect AM radio in our cars.”
“On behalf of our nation’s religious broadcasters, we look forward to building partnership and collaboration across Washington, across industries, and across America to preserve AM radio in the dashboard of vehicles manufactured and sold in the United States,” Miller said.
Cruz and Markey introduced a similar bill in the last Congress. It was passed in July 2023 by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which Cruz now chairs, but didn’t get to the Senate floor for a full vote. Similar legislation passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee in September.
“AM radio has long been a haven for people to express differing viewpoints, allowing free speech and our robust democratic process to flourish for decades,” Cruz said Wednesday in a news release. “I am honored to once again partner with Sen. Markey on this bipartisan legislation on behalf of our constituents who depend on AM radio and public airwaves for access to news, music, talk, and emergency alerts.”
In December, the National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s board of directors sent a letter to congressional leaders seeking to include the AM radio legislation in the omnibus continuing resolution, but it ended up not being part of that package.
“Failure to approve this critical AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act will allow automakers to eliminate access to critical information to the people we serve,” the Farm Broadcasting’s board wrote. “Rural and urban residents should not be forced to subscribe to an unreliable data stream for urgent information.
“Access to radio becomes even more important for America’s producers and rural audiences in times of emergency. For those who work mostly out in the open, often miles from home, response time is critical especially in severe weather events.”
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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