AM Radio Bill Gains Support, But House Action Waits Until After August Recess.

Broadcasters will need to wait a bit longer to see legislation that would require AM radio be installed in all U.S. passenger vehicles advance in the House. There had been hope that the Energy and Commerce Committee would take up by the bill before it broke for the annual August recess. But when it met Wednesday, radio wasn’t on the agenda as lawmakers instead took up legislation focused on college athlete image rights payments and drug prices. The proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R. 8449/S. 1669) would need to wait until at least September, when the House is back in session.

Support for the effort to keep AM’s place in the dashboard has continued to grow, even if getting to the top of the agenda remains a challenge. The number of House members has climbed to 259, including three additional co-sponsors who added their names this week. They include Reps. Jack Bergman (R-MI), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) and Norma Torres (D-CA). That is in addition to the 61 Senators that support the bill in that chamber.

The early recess in the House brought about by the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein controversy didn’t help the calendar pressure. But it isn’t cold feet — or efforts by the music industry to tie the issue to music royalties — but simply limited bandwidth for the House committee that remains the stumbling block, according to Washington insiders.

The House isn’t alone. The legislation was passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee in February with bipartisan support and is currently awaiting a floor vote. With more than enough co-sponsors to surpass any potential filibuster, the issue is again timing. Senators are scheduled to remain in Washington until Aug. 4 before going on their break, so there remains a long-shot chance that AM could break through the noise in the coming week.

The upshot of having House members and Senators back in their districts for the next month is that it is during those periods where broadcasters typically have the most access — and potential sway. The next month will be an opportunity to solidify that support.

The proposed law would direct the U.S. Department of Transportation to require AM radio capability — analog or digital — in all new passenger vehicles, citing AM’s essential role in public safety. The proposed rule would give most manufacturers two to three years to comply, while small-volume producers would get four. And while any vehicle that carries 12 passengers or less would be covered, motorcycles fall outside the definition.

Until the rule takes effect, carmakers would need to label any AM-less vehicles and would be barred from charging extra to include AM functionality. The law also pre-empts any potential state-level rules, establishing a unified federal standard related to the access of AM stations in passenger vehicles.

The bill may have frozen carmakers’ positions in place. Ever since Ford announced it would return AM to all models two years ago, no other brand has made a similar move. But even some of the businesses selling those vehicles think AM is essential.

While it may be a “solvable” engineering problem, Kunes Auto and RV Group COO Scott Kunes tells the Bozeman Daily Chronicle that not all electric vehicle manufacturers are willing to invest in fixing the interference problems that AM and EVs can face.

“We serve a lot of small towns and rural communities, and for many of our customers, AM radio isn’t just background noise. It’s how they get storm warnings, market updates, local news and community programming,” said Kunes. “There’s a misconception that AM radio is outdated, but in places where cell service drops and broadband doesn’t reach, it’s still mission-critical. Removing AM from vehicles risks disconnecting entire communities that depend on it.”

The latest Nielsen data shows 82 million Americans listen to AM each month. That represents one out of three AM/FM radio listeners.

The bill also has the support of over 125 organizations, including the National Emergency Management Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, AARP, Native Public Media, SAG-AFTRA, and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters.