‘AM Radio In Every Vehicle Act’ Gets a Major Boost In Congress

Photo Credit: Mark Chan

Radio broadcasters from across the US have been gathering in Washington to once again lobby Congress in support of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, a proposed bill that would require AM radio in all new passenger vehicles.

The law would apply to both vehicles manufactured in the US and imported vehicles, and would authorize the DOJ to fine or bring a civil action against manufacturers that don’t comply.

Radio broadcasters argue that AM radio is necessary for emergency alerts, especially in rural communities and during power outages. If broadband or satellite connections go down, the argument is that AM radio can continue to broadcast national emergency messages, including weather warnings and AMBER alerts.

The legislation received a major boost last month when it was included in the Build America 250 Act (H.R.8870), the proposed 5-year federal surface transportation reauthorization package.

If passed as is by the House, the Build America 250 Act would take effect on September 30th, when the current transportation funding bill expires. T

Supporting the measure, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt stated, “NAB applauds the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for including the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act in its surface transportation reauthorization package. We thank Chairmen Brett Guthrie and Gus Bilirakis and Ranking Member Frank Pallone for their continued leadership on this critical issue and for creating another path to pass this overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation.”

The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act has been awaiting consideration on the House floor since November 2025, when it was discharged from the House committee on Transportation. The bill was reintroduced in the Senate by Senators Markey (D-MA) and Cruz (R-TX) after a prior 2023 version failed to pass despite bipartisan support. “AM radio is a lifeline for people across the country for news, sports, and especially emergency information,” said Markey.

Arguments against the AM radio mandate have come from automobile manufacturers and a vast range of music industry groups.

Electric vehicle manufacturers, including Tesla, BMW, and Volkswagen, have removed AM radio from their cars, citing electromagnetic interference from the AM signal with their motors. New EVs, like the Tesla Model 3 and the Rivian R2, have gone further by eliminating both AM and FM radio.

Last year, automakers also joined advocates for performing artists in opposing the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act without concurrent passage of the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA).

The AMFA would close a loophole in copyright law that allows terrestrial radio not to pay royalties to performing artists, an exception that makes the US an anomaly in the world.

“We strongly believe the AM bill should not move forward without Congress also passing AMFA. Mandating AM radio without addressing the performance royalty issue would perpetuate an inequity that denies hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation to countless recording artists every year” wrote a coalition comprised of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the Zero Emissions Transportation Association (ZETA), and the musicFIRST Coalition (which includes the Recording Academy, RIAA, the American Federation of Musicians, SAG-AFTRA, SoundExchange, and others).

If Congress were to pass the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act without the AMFA this September, AM music stations would benefit from a mandated presence in all new vehicles while remaining exempt from paying artists and labels for airplay.

The NAB spent a reported $2.91 million lobbying Congress in the first quarter of this year, focusing on both promoting the AM radio mandate and opposing an additional public performance royalty.