It is a piece of legislation that has widespread bipartisan support in both the House of Representatives and in the U.S. Senate. Yet, it has yet to become law due to a variety of matters. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican, thwarted a voice vote in the previous Congress for the bill over electric vehicle subsidies, which are ending. The Congressional rescission vote then delayed pending bills across Capitol Hill.
Now, at long last, the AM Radio in Every Vehicle Act is getting a full consideration by the House Energy & Commerce Committee — an important step in getting a mandate on free-to-access kHz-band radio broadcasts in all cars, trucks or vans sold in the U.S.
H.R. 979, as it is known in the current Congress, will the seventh of 7 items to be considered at a full committee markup scheduled for tomorrow (9/16) at 10am Eastern. This bill is sponsored by Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), picking up the baton from Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), who first brought the basics of the bill to fruition in the previous Congress.
This iteration of the AM Radio in Every Vehicle Act was proposed in February, and it includes language that specifically states the legislation would be sunset 10 years from the date of enactment — a concession, perhaps, to automakers fighting the bill, as well as the Consumer Technology Association.
By April the proposed legislation became filibuster-proof in the Senate, as some 60 legislators in the upper body of Congress signed on as co-sponsors. Nearly 300 House Members are in support of the bill.
Exactly one year earlier, CTA head Gary Shapiro offered Congressional testimony in which he made it clear why his association — owner and producer of the CES conference — opposes Congressional legislation that would require all vehicle manufacturers in the U.S. to ensure free access to AM radio in every car, truck or van sold across the nation.
With Republicans in control of Congress and widespread support on the Hill for the bill, it is a safe bet the NAB and the radio broadcasting industry could see the AM Radio in Every Vehicle Act land on President Trump’s desk by the end of 2025.
