House committee approves bill requiring new cars to have AM radio
The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the AM for Every Vehicle Act, requiring new cars, including EVs, to have AM radio for emergency information, amid concerns over production costs.
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The House Energy and Commerce Committee has approved the AM for Every Vehicle Act, which mandates that new cars, including electric vehicles (EVs), must include AM radio. The bill passed with a vote of 45-2 and will now be presented to the full House for consideration. Proponents argue that maintaining AM radio is crucial for broadcasting emergency information during disasters, especially as many new vehicles are being released without this feature. Some automakers, including Tesla and Ford, have previously excluded AM radio from their models, citing issues with electromagnetic interference from EV powertrains. Critics of the bill express concerns that the requirement could increase production costs for EV manufacturers, who may need to redesign their vehicles to accommodate AM radio. The bill has garnered significant support, with 60 Senate cosponsors, indicating a strong likelihood of passing. Supporters emphasize the importance of AM radio as a reliable communication tool, particularly during hurricane season.
- The House committee approved a bill requiring new cars to have AM radio.
- The bill aims to ensure access to emergency information during disasters.
- Some automakers argue that AM radio is incompatible with electric vehicles.
- Critics warn that the mandate could raise production costs for EV manufacturers.
- The bill has significant bipartisan support, with 60 cosponsors in the Senate.
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14 commentsEmergency scenarios often require a PSA (public service announcement), and it’s easy enough to envision a scenario where communications degrade in succession, such that you can get a PSA on how to use AM transmissions in case other communications go down. So if other networks are degraded, then at least people have AM to fall back on.
This house bill may sound like a bad idea to anyone who doesn’t work in disaster preparedness, or doesn’t have a paranoid security mindset, but it totally makes sense for someone who red teams emergency comms.
What I find a bit odder is the vehemence with which some online commenters also want them gone. I don't use either radio in my car, but their presence doesn't get me hot under my collar either. People say AM radio is useless and obsolete, but the same could probably be said for FM too, since everybody pairs their phones for music anyway. Why does AM have a target painted on it when nobody online seems to have an axe to grind with the equally useless FM radio? Is it just because there are a lot of conservative talk shows on AM? Is that the angle here? The bill to keep AM radios evidently has bipartisan support in Congress, and yet for some reason these discussions usually have people complaining about Republicans.
He has one where he talks about the lack of radio in cars and mentions the possibility of a bill but i can't remember if he said anything specific.
If lawmakers ACTUALLY cared about public safety, they would fund the distribution of hand-cranked AM radios that could be stored in emergency kits.
This is just legislation purchased, incredibly cheaply, by iHeartMedia, Audacy, and the like cloaked in the delusion that people who failed to evacuate before a hurricane when all other infrastructure was operational will go out to their submerged or destroyed car to listen to the radio.
You are guaranteed the right to free speech. You are not guaranteed that other people are obligated to carry that speech for you, at a cost to them.
Cry me a fucking river. (The same would equally apply to left-wing media, for perfect clarity).
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