The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2023, with no further debate or discussion and with wide bipartisan support, has been passed by the Senate Commerce Committee and is now poised for a full floor vote in the upper body of Congress.
The affirmative voice vote came on Thursday morning as part of an Executive Session that saw the committee, chaired by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), consider bills on such issues as unfair concert ticket prices (S.1303, the TICKET Act) and canned salmon and country of origin issues of particular concern to Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska).
For the AM radio bill, formally known as S.1669, getting a full Senate OK may be one of the biggest sure bets for the broadcasting industry in recent memory. As of today, some 27 co-sponsors have signed on to the proposed legislation, with Cantwell and Sullivan on Tuesday putting their names on the bill along with centrist West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin and Indiana Republican Todd Young.
In describing S.1669 ahead of the voice vote, Cantwell noted how AM radio “is such an essential source of local news, weather and emergency information. This is important legislation to make sure it remains a part of what consumers have access to.”
Cruz, in his opening statement, said first and foremost that he is “very pleased” S.1669 would be getting a markup by the committee. “This bipartisan bill will make a real difference for Americans across the country,” he said. “Americans rely on AM Radio to provide them with safety alerts, news, Talk Radio and music. Unfortunately several automakers have announced plans to take this important resource out of cars. That’s a big mistake.”
Cruz also noted the importance of AM radio to multicultural audiences.
Toward the end of the session, bill co-author Ed Markey (D-Mass.) spoke of how EV owners should have access to the same drivers as those in gas-powered vehicles “just because some companies say they can’t figure out how to do this,” and keep AM radios in those new cars. “Let’s ensure that we keep the best of the past as we move forward to the future … I refuse to accept the false choice of safety during emergencies in developing the cars of the future. We can, and we must do both at the same time.”
Interestingly, Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) changed his vote to a ‘No,’ preventing S.1669 from passing unanimously.
Peters offered no explanation as to why he had changed his vote. Given he represents a state where automobile manufacturing and design is a core industry, it opens questions as to whether or not lobbyists acting on behalf of interests opposing the legislation are at work on Capitol Hill — despite the widespread support of S.1669 and its companion bill in the House of Representatives.
In response to the Senate Commerce Committee’s passage today of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, NAB President/CEO Curtis LeGeyt applauded the near-unanimous vote.”We thank Sens. Markey and Cruz, Chair Cantwell and the bipartisan cosponsors of this bill for their leadership to safeguard AM radio’s pivotal role in keeping the public informed when disaster strikes,” he said. “We urge swift passage of this important legislation.”
Also chiming in: Democratic FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. He said, “AM radio plays a critical role in our public safety infrastructure. As seven former heads of FEMA have explained, AM’s resiliency combined with the long distances AM signals propagate means ‘the success of the National Public Warning System hinges on the use of AM radio.’ I agree. Americans know in times of emergency that they can turn to AM radio. I applaud Congress for its bipartisan action to ensure the continued reception of AM signals in all vehicles.”
