AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act

My Thoughts

The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act feels like an unnecessary government overstep. Forcing car manufacturers to include AM radios in every new vehicle just doesn’t seem to make sense in 2024. Streaming services, satellite radio, and advanced emergency alerts provide coverage for the vast majority of U.S. residents. This bill was proposed because electric vehicles (EVs) especially have issues with AM radio because of interference they generate and were starting to leave them out.

Instead of pushing the automotive industry forward, the law would be making them hang onto tech that isn’t even a major factor in most people’s day-to-day driving anymore. It’s like forcing us to include a CD player in every car when most people stream music now. Why mandate something the market has naturally moved on from?

Rep. Dean Response

On September 24, 2024, Representative Dean replied in an email that not only got my name wrong, but completely missed the point of my message.

Thank you for writing to me regarding AM radio. As you know, AM radio was the first method developed to broadcast audio radio transmissions, and the format is still used worldwide. Many people across the United States use AM radio to access news, traffic reports, weather, sports, and entertainment – with current data estimating that 82 million Americans listen to AM radio monthly. As legislators, we have a responsibility to protect the programs and broadcasts that empower our constituents and strengthen our communities. Know that I support public media, and I will continue to fight for accessible audio broadcasting.

Follow Up

I was skeptical of the "82 million Americans" feature. An informal poll on social media revealed that, within 87 people in my cohort, only 18% had listened to AM radio in the last 30 days. One interesting response was from Emily who wrote:

Growing up with hurricanes, I see AM radio as a necessary bit of any home emergency kit. When the power was out and the cell towers were ripped from the ground, AM was the only way to know what was happening. [A]lso that's still in the ballpark of 1 in every 4 Americans. If that many use AM outside of emergency situations, how many need to use one in an emergency? Mastodon post