The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act is finally headed toward a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise scheduled a standalone floor vote for the week of September 14, moving the proposal beyond committee action and its long campaign to collect cosponsors.
The legislation would require automakers to include equipment capable of receiving AM broadcast signals as standard equipment in new passenger vehicles, including electric vehicles. Manufacturers could not charge buyers an additional fee for that capability.
Supporters emphasize AM radio’s reach during emergencies, its availability without a subscription or mobile-data connection and its importance to rural and multilingual communities. The National Association of Broadcasters says 317 House members and 61 senators support the legislation.
The scheduled vote is significant, but it does not mean the requirement is already settled.
First, the House must pass the bill. The Senate must then approve compatible language, and any differences between the House and Senate versions must be resolved. The final legislation would still require the president’s signature before becoming law.
Several practical questions also remain. Broadcasters and automakers will need to know the implementation timetable, which vehicles or model years would be covered, how the requirement applies to software-defined dashboards and whether manufacturers can meet it through receivers already incorporated into vehicle infotainment systems.
The legislation’s supporters should also explain how reception quality will be measured. Merely placing an AM selection on a screen would not serve drivers if electrical interference or inadequate antenna design makes the signal difficult to hear.
Automakers have argued that consumer listening habits are changing and that electric-vehicle systems can create interference affecting AM reception. Broadcasters answer that engineering challenges should be solved rather than used to remove a free emergency-communications service.
The coming House vote will establish where members stand on that disagreement. It will not, by itself, complete the legislative process.
Radio News Now will report the roll-call result and what the Senate must do next.