By Steven Symes 
Your next new vehicle might include AM radio, and it’s all thanks to a potential action by Congress in Washington, DC. That fact is confusing plenty of people, but the reality is there are some good reasons to bring back the old technology, even if it comes with some challenges.
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While the movement to get AM radio back in new cars has been brewing for a few years now, the latest push with the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act is showing promise. It recently moved from the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is headed to a full vote in the House.
Automakers have in the past brought up concerns about forcing AM radio into all new cars, mostly because of cost. There’s also the concern about signal interference in EVs and hybrids.
The reason for forcing AM radio into all new vehicles is how essential information can be communicated to the public during emergencies. That includes natural disasters like flooding and hurricanes, when FM, internet, cell phones, and other forms of communication might fail.
Amazingly, the bill is a true bipartisan work, with a Republican and Democrat sponsoring it and 151 Republicans and 149 Democrats acting as cosponsors. It might be one of the few issues both parties seem to overwhelmingly support.
However, a compromise had to be made to get the bill out of committee and appease automakers. Instead of the bill sunsetting in ten years, which was originally in the language, an amendment was added so that happens in eight years.
In addition, the bill mandates that the Department of Transportation examines how AM radio inclusion affects innovations in the auto industry, as well as vehicle safety. In other words, how the bill is implemented might change as automotive technology and design evolve.
Source: Radio World
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