Collins, King Join Bipartisan Push to Keep AM Radio Service in New Vehicles

U.S. Senators from Maine Susan Collins (R) and Angus King (I) are backing a bill that would require automakers to include AM broadcast radio service in their new vehicles at no additional charge.

“AM Radio delivers highway safety information to drivers and critical storm and weather updates to farmers in Maine and across the country,” Sen. Collins said Monday. “This bipartisan bill would ensure the accessibility of AM service in every vehicle, safeguarding essential communication tools that are critical to our rural communities.”

The bipartisan “AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act” came in response to an increasing number of automakers, including BMW, Mazda, Volvo, Volkswagen and Tesla, that have either already removed or plan to remove AM radio from some electric models.

Last spring, Ford caved to pressure from lawmakers and announced it would be keeping AM broadcast radio in all of its 2024 vehicles, citing concerns over the importance of AM radio as a part of the emergency alert system.

Some Republican lawmakers, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, support the bill as they see the removal of AM radio from vehicles as “profoundly harmful for free speech,” due to AM broadcasts being an “oasis for conservative speech.”

“AM radio promotes a diversity of views. Why? Because the barriers of entry to getting into AM radio are relatively low,” Sen. Cruz said in support of the bill in December. “To start an FM station is quite expensive. An AM station is much cheaper to start and to operate and as a consequence, we see a beautiful array of diversity of views reflected on AM radio nationally.”

Sen. King said Monday that “many Maine people, and especially our farmers, rely on AM radio for weather and business news they need, along with emergency updates that are essential for their safety.”

“I am proud to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure that our rural communities, in Maine and across America, have the tools to succeed,” King said.

In addition to directing federal regulators to require automakers to include AM broadcast capability in their new models, the “AM for Every Vehicle Act” would require automakers who sells vehicles without AM access to make a disclosure to customers, and to direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study the importance of AM radio as a communication technology during emergencies.

Sens. Collins and King, alongside Democratic Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) previously introduced the “Local Radio Freedom Act,” that would bar Congress from imposing new performance fees, taxes, royalties, or other charges on small, independent radio stations.