https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/05/ev-advocates-join-tech-groups-and-automakers-to-oppose-am-radio-mandate/ Skip to main content * Biz & IT * Tech * Science * Policy * Cars * Gaming & Culture * Store * Forums Subscribe [ ] Close Navigate * Store * Subscribe * Videos * Features * Reviews * RSS Feeds * Mobile Site * About Ars * Staff Directory * Contact Us * Advertise with Ars * Reprints Filter by topic * Biz & IT * Tech * Science * Policy * Cars * Gaming & Culture * Store * Forums Settings Front page layout Grid List Site theme light dark Sign in your cellphone gets emergency alerts already -- Congress wants AM radio in all new cars--trade groups say that's a mistake Congress wants to force AM into every new car for emergency alerts. Jonathan M. Gitlin - May 23, 2023 2:16 pm UTC Retro styled image of an old car radio inside a green classic car Enlarge Getty Images reader comments 578 with The fight over the future of AM radio got a little more heated this week as organizations representing the auto and technology industries told Congress that its plan to mandate this mode of radio wave reception is poorly conceived and will hinder progress. AM radio has seen almost every other in-car entertainment option come and go--vinyl, 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs--and it might predate just about everything other than playing "I Spy," but time is catching up with this old broadcast technology. It is starting to get left behind as new models--many of which are electric vehicles--drive off into the sunset, streaming their audio instead of modulating its amplitude. When we reported on the news that AM would be absent from the 2024 Ford Mustang, we noted that some elected officials in Congress were not cool with retiring this kind of radio. Now some of them have gone a step further and introduced a bill--the "AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act"--that would require every new vehicle to include an AM radio receiver as standard equipment at no extra cost to the car buyer. "I would think that if Elon Musk has enough money to buy Twitter and send rockets to space, he can afford to include AM radio in his Teslas. Instead, Elon Musk and Tesla and other car manufacturers are putting public safety and emergency response at risk," said Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), one of the co-sponsors of the legislation. "As more and more Americans adopt electric vehicles, we must ensure that they are equipped with AM radio. AM radio is--and will remain--an essential communications channel for emergency alerts and for disseminating news and other important information to residents of our district and communities across our country. I am proud to co-lead this bipartisan legislation which would ensure that EVs continue to be equipped with this basic but critical capability," said Rep. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), another co-sponsor. Advertisement The proposed new law also found support from the Federal Communications Commission and the radio broadcasting industry. But the industries responsible for actually implementing this requirement are not nearly as enamored. Yesterday, the Zero Emission Transportation Association, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the Consumer Technology Association, and TechNet sent a letter to the bill's 11 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives and the Senate to point out how much of a mistake it would be. While AM radio remains popular for local sports broadcasts and talk radio, the authors of the proposed legislation frame their act in terms of emergency alerts. That might have made sense back in the days of Marconi and Bell, but we're living in the 21st century with more than one way to broadcast alerts. What's more, for a radio alert to actually work, it has to be turned on and tuned to the right wavelength. As the letter from the trade groups notes, 97 percent of Americans have a cellphone, which is already designed to receive Wireless Emergency Alerts, and these alerts can be received even if the cellular network is unable to send calls or other data. "Unlike radio alerts, they can also contain an embedded hyperlink to guide the recipient to helpful information within seconds of receiving the alert; given that 85% of Americans with a cell phone own a smartphone, the vast majority of people receiving an alert can take advantage of this benefit," the letter points out. Perhaps if this bill becomes law, its authors will follow up with a requirement for all pedestrians to carry an AM radio at all times as well, just in case. reader comments 578 with Jonathan M. Gitlin Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC. Advertisement Promoted Comments [avatar] TheArsTrev IF you insist on doing this... How about including a portable AM radio in every glovebox. 5$ and done. Cripes, throw in some rechargeable batteries too or make them 'crankable' Or deliver them direct to homes at no cost (you know what I mean) as a government initiative and cut the middleman out of it. May 23, 2023 at 2:24 pm [avatar] borrible AM radio has seen almost every other in-car entertainment option come and go--vinyl, 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs--and it might predate just about everything other than playing "I Spy," Surprising, it looks like AM radio (whether as in-car entertainment or otherwise) predates "I Spy". AM radios in cars date from the mid-1920s but the game I Spy dates from late 1930s. May 23, 2023 at 3:50 pm Channel Ars Technica - Previous story Next story - Related Stories Today on Ars * Store * Subscribe * About Us * RSS Feeds * View Mobile Site * Contact Us * Staff * Advertise with us * Reprints Newsletter Signup Join the Ars Orbital Transmission mailing list to get weekly updates delivered to your inbox. Sign me up - CNMN Collection WIRED Media Group (c) 2023 Conde Nast. All rights reserved. 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