In a rare display of bipartisanship in Congress, the House Energy and Commerce Committee recently voted 45-2 to require automakers to include AM radio access in new electric vehicle models. As Congress debates the policy implications of this measure, policymakers should consider the many benefits AM radio provides for nontraditional consumers in hard-to-reach parts of the country.
Today, more than 80 million Americans tune into 4,000 AM radio stations monthly for informational updates on sports, spiritual programming, and traffic and weather reports. Due to its low frequency and general reliability, AM radio is the perfect medium for federal, state and local government officials to deliver critical safety information to the public in real time. However, as some automakers roll back AM radio availability, access to this information will suffer, and consumer safety will be at risk.
Hurricanes, tornados and wildfires routinely knock out power lines and phone service, making it difficult for residents to obtain information about threats or emergency relief. If that critical information access pipeline deteriorates, efficient emergency communication relays will be disrupted. AMBER alerts and weather-related emergency communications may go unnoticed until it is too late.
AM radio is the backbone of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Alert System, which is why seven top former FEMA officials have signed letters voicing their support for the AM for Every Vehicle Act.
Americans in Puerto Rico famously relied on AM radio for information after Hurricane Maria. More recently, AM radio served as a lifeline to Asheville, North Carolina, residents grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Similarly, a recent study found that AM radio was a critical resource to residents during the Maui and Tubbs wildfires in Hawaii and California.
It is not only the nation’s emergency response system that will suffer if AM radio is phased out. Rural Americans, linguistic minorities and other groups will suffer because they depend on AM radio to access content tailored to their needs.
One recent survey found that 81 percent of agricultural workers use AM/FM radio to receive updates on agriculture news, market trends and weather news patterns. In fact, more than 1,500 American AM radio stations still provide agricultural programming.
The reality is that many underserved communities and Americans in rural parts of the country continue to rely on AM radio as a go-to source of information that is not easily replaceable.
Despite the benefits of AM radio, critics allege that AM radio is a dying medium primarily used by older Americans to access conservative talk radio and that attempts to save it could unintentionally invite government overreach into the private sector and prove overly burdensome to automakers. Those concerns are understandable but do not outweigh AM radio’s many positive benefits.
Several automakers have committed to continue equipping vehicles with AM radio. Ford has already changed its business plans to keep AM radio in future models.
The decision to keep AM capabilities in cars is not unanimous. Tesla and Volvo have raised objections that AM radio broadcast signals cause electromagnetic interference in EV’s battery-powered motors.
Yet, this problem can be mitigated by simply using protective shielding for cables, filters, active noise cancelation, or the strategic placement of parts to overcome this obstacle. As research from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office concludes, “The unit costs of those updates are small,” so automakers can — and should — design future EV models with this issue in mind to cut down on related costs.
Ultimately, AM radio provides highly valued, essential information to Americans. While government mandates should seldom be used, requiring AM radio in new vehicle models ensures some consumers have access to important safety information when disaster strikes.
