- Content: 
By India McCarty
Spotify and other streaming platforms have largely taken over many people’s drive-time listening, but many are pushing back against the proposed removal of AM and FM radio from cars.
“More than 4,000 U.S. broadcast radio stations use amplitude modulation (AM) frequencies — a technology more than 100 years old — to transmit audio programming containing news, music, and information to listeners,” a report from Congress explained. “AM radio also supports national and local emergency alerting systems. Since 2014, several motor vehicle manufacturers have opted not to include broadcast AM radio in electric vehicles (EVs).”
While many automakers want to stop integrating AM and FM radio in their cars, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are pushing to pass the AM Radio For Every Vehicle Act, which would require car companies to include AM radio as standard equipment in all new vehicles, as well as mandate that consumers receive free access to it.
Related: AM Radio Under Threat — What This Means for Americans’ Free Speech
As of now, this bill has the support of more than 315 House members and 61 Senators.
Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) has been outspoken in his support of keeping AM and FM radio in cars, writing in a letter to automakers, “Broadcast AM radio is an essential part of our emergency alert infrastructure, but the responses to my letter show that far too many automakers are ignoring the critical safety benefits of AM radio.”
“Although many automakers suggested that other communication tools — such as internet radio — could replace broadcast AM radio, in an emergency, drivers might not have access to the internet and could miss critical safety information,” he continued.
Markey concluded, “The truth is that broadcast AM radio is irreplaceable. As the auto industry rightfully replaces the internal combustion engine with electric batteries, I will continue to work to ensure that automakers maintain access to broadcast AM radio in all their vehicles.”
While many are focused on the possibility of people losing access to these important government emergency alerts, Crosswalk writer Elizabeth Delaney pointed out that these radio stations also let listeners consume “instant news, weather alerts, community updates, sporting events, faith-based programming, agricultural reports, and more without a fee or an insistence on up-charges for premium content.”
Many might consider AM and FM radio obsolete in this digital age, but it’s clear that this broadcasting tool is vitally important, whether it’s notifying people of emergencies or simply giving them access to the news and other programming,
Read Next: Embracing Change: An Industry at the Intersection of Tradition and Innovation
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +2Share:
– Content: +1