Policy & Regulation
US House passes bill requiring free AM radio in new vehicles
The U.S. House overwhelmingly passed a bill that would require automakers to include AM radio in new vehicles at no extra cost, and the measure now heads to the Senate.
The House of Representatives approved legislation this week, in a rare instance of bipartisan support, that would require new cars, trucks, and SUVs to be built with AM radio at no additional charge to consumers. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require automakers to include AM radio in new passenger vehicles as standard equipment. The bill now heads to the Senate.
Proponents of AM radio have lobbied unsuccessfully for a mandate in the past, arguing the format offers critical information during emergencies because its signal can travel long distances. But support from Democrats and Republicans, the broadcast industry, emergency responder organizations, and former administrators of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is pushing the legislation closer to becoming law.
There is reason to believe the Senate will follow the House’s lead: the bill’s Senate version, co-sponsored by Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), secured 60 co-sponsors earlier this year, a critical threshold for overcoming a filibuster. Cruz, who chairs the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Markey hailed the House vote in a joint statement Wednesday: “This vote sends a clear message to car manufacturers that AM Radio is a lifeline that must be protected in new vehicles. From emergency response to sports, entertainment, and news, AM radio is an essential communication tool for tens of millions of Americans.”
A growing number of automakers, including BMW, Rivian, Tesla, and Volvo, have moved away from the century-old broadcast band in favor of software-defined vehicles offering streaming services like TuneIn and SiriusXM. Ford had also removed AM radio from some vehicles but has since reversed course. EV makers have led the shift in part because the electromagnetic interference generated by electric motors can affect AM frequencies, which automakers say degrades signal and audio quality.
Tesla doesn’t include AM receivers in the base versions of its Model 3 and Model Y. Rivian’s new R2 SUV has no built-in FM or AM receiver, though it offers AM/FM content through the iHeartRadio digital platform for free; the Rivian R1S and R1T let customers access FM content digitally or through a built-in receiver.
Why it matters
If the Senate passes the bill, automakers that have engineered AM radio out of newer, software-defined vehicles — largely EV makers — would have to redesign around a legacy broadcast standard, adding cost and complexity just as the industry moves toward streaming-first audio.