U.S. House panel advances bill to require AM radio in all new vehicles

Grant Schwab, The Detroit News on Sep 18, 2025

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WASHINGTON — A panel of U.S. House lawmakers advanced a bill this week that would require the inclusion of AM radio in all new vehicles for eight years.

"I know quite well how crucial AM radio is for receiving emergency alerts during hurricane season, for consumers and rural communities to people stuck without electricity or internet during a national disaster," said U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Florida. He is the chief sponsor of the measure.

Bilirakis continued: "AM radio is their lifeline to critical and life-saving information. This bill makes sure that consumers don't lose that lifeline."

The measure, amended Wednesday by the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, is an apparent compromise between emergency management groups, automakers and fans of talk radio shows that are broadcast primarily through AM channels. The auto industry has opposed AM requirements in new vehicles, citing costs and declining AM radio listenership.

Michigan U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, suggested that she brokered the compromise after speaking with automotive executives, broadcasters and other stakeholders.

"When this issue was raised in the last Congress, I personally engaged with the automakers and their CEOs about the critical role AM plays, and they told me directly that they would continue offering it in their vehicles and work in good faith with us on a path forward," she said. "And they kept their word. That's why we're here today."

The bill directs the U.S. Department of Transportation to, within a year, issue a rule requiring automakers to offer AM radio in their new vehicles at "no additional" cost "beyond the base price of the passenger motor vehicle."

A previous version of the measure said the rule would sunset after 10 years. An amendment Wednesday shortened that timeline to eight years while also shortening the window for automakers to get into compliance. With the rule's automatic sunset, lawmakers would be forced to revisit the issue in the future.

The panel voted 50-1 to advance the measure out of committee. U.S. Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-California, was the only dissenting voice. "My problem with this bill is that it forces American consumers to buy a product that they may or may not want: an AM radio," he said.

Obernolte noted the cost and difficulty of adding the radios to electric vehicles with powertrains that create electromagnetic interference on the same frequencies as AM radios. He also cited an October 2023 test by the Federal Emergency Management Agency showing that about 1% of Americans receive alerts via AM radio.

Despite his opposition, there is widespread bipartisan support for the bill. It has more than 300 cosponsors, and a companion bill has been filed in the U.S. Senate.

"I'll be voting to advance it out of committee, and hope we bring it to the floor quickly," Dingell said. She also quoted her late husband, former U.S. Rep. John Dingell, about lawmakers coming together on the issue: "Compromise is not a dirty word. It's good to see this committee working together to get this right."

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