AM/FM Radio is a safety issue

[sodamo]

The argument is that AM radio is the most reliable way to get notifications via the Emergency Alert System. In many rural areas, you can get an AM radio signal, but there is no FM radio, cell service, or Internet.

Also, radio is less likely to be affected by power outages than the cell network or Internet. If a radio station has a generator at the studio and another generator at the transmission tower, it can stay on the air even if the power goes down. It's much harder to keep the cell network and the Internet working if the power goes down, because there are a lot more powered components.

In theory, satellite radio (SiriusXM) has even broader coverage than AM, and is even less likely to be affected by power outages. But there are far more AM radios out there than active satellite radios.

SiriusXM satellite radio does not operate in Hawaii due to coverage limitations.
Heard the app works, but that is streaming not live.

 

[YDR37]

SiriusXM satellite radio does not operate in Hawaii due to coverage limitations.
Heard the app works, but that is streaming not live.

OK, good point. I don't think SiriusXM works in Alaska either (except maybe the Southeast).

The coverage in the Lower 48, southern Canada, and northern Mexico is pretty much everywhere, as long as there is a decent view of the sky. It can drop out in narrow canyons or dense forest.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

🤣

To quote Protron:

I WANT MY AM/FM RADIO AND THAT’S ALL THERE IS TO IT!

Just when you think that thread finally goes away, we find a way to resurrect it.

To Protron - the gift that keeps on giving!

Better yet:

What about Sincgars, Harris, Frs, Murs, CB, Ham, Gmrs, Fm, Am radios?

🤣

 

[KevinRS]

Even if Congress moved on it, and moved fast, I doubt they would make a rule that effected MY 2027 vehicles. Maybe 2028 or 2029. It's just getting too close, and manufacturers have already designed, ordered parts, etc.
It's also the broadcaster's lobby vs the automaker's lobby, and one of those is shrinking.

 

[YDR37]

Even if Congress moved on it, and moved fast, I doubt they would make a rule that effected MY 2027 vehicles. Maybe 2028 or 2029. It's just getting too close, and manufacturers have already designed, ordered parts, etc.

Nothing will happen immediately, even if the Act becomes law tomorrow (which it won't). It will take a few years before the law is enforceable.

Once the Act becomes law, the Dept. of Transportation (DoT) has a year to spell out the exact rules.

Then those DoT rules will include an effective date. The current House version calls for an effective date within 2 years after the DoT rules are issued. The current Senate version calls for an effective date between 2 and 3 years after the DoT rules are issued. Small manufacturers get 4 years in both versions.

Congress would have to reconcile the two different versions of the Act. But in either case, it will take multiple years before manufacturers are legally required to comply (of course, manufacturers could start complying earlier).

 

[KevinRS]

Nothing will happen immediately, even if the Act becomes law tomorrow (which it won't). It will take a few years before the law is enforceable.

Once the Act becomes law, the Dept. of Transportation (DoT) has a year to spell out the exact rules.

Then those DoT rules will include an effective date. The current House version calls for an effective date within 2 years after the DoT rules are issued. The current Senate version calls for an effective date between 2 and 3 years after the DoT rules are issued. Small manufacturers get 4 years in both versions.

Congress would have to reconcile the two different versions of the Act. But in either case, it will take multiple years before manufacturers are legally required to comply (of course, manufacturers could start complying earlier).

Which means passage of such a law is of no real concern for us here. Anyone here who wants a Slate, even if they waited until they have shipped to make a reservation, should have their Slate long before it would become effective. That is if it ever passed. The auto industry probably has lobbyists at work to make sure it doesn't happen, they want freedom to drop AM as soon as they decide they it won't mean a loss in sales.

 

[YDR37]

The auto industry probably has lobbyists at work to make sure it doesn't happen, they want freedom to drop AM as soon as they decide they it won't mean a loss in sales.

The auto industry did spend a lot of money lobbying against the Act. And the broadcast industry spent a lot of money lobbying for it. For example, in 1Q 2025:

In Q1, broadcasters, led by the NAB [National Association of Broadcasters], iHeartMedia, and Salem Media Group, spent a combined $4.46 million advocating for AM radio access. Meanwhile, Toyota, Honda, Tesla, and General Motors spent a combined $2.31 million opposing efforts to mandate AM radio as a standard safety feature in new vehicles.

The auto industry lost this one. As of right now, the Act has 60 co-sponsors in the Senate (out of 100 Senators) and 317 co-sponsors in the House (out of 435 Representatives). Chances are that your Congressman is on board, and at least one of your Senators.

If the Act ever comes up for a vote, it will pass, and the President has already indicated that he will sign it. At this point, the only question is whether it will actually get voted on during this session of Congress. It never reached the voting stage last year, and it could die again this year.

 

[KevinRS]

The auto industry did spend a lot of money lobbying against the Act. And the broadcast industry spent a lot of money lobbying for it. For example, in 1Q 2025:

The auto industry lost this one. As of right now, the Act has 60 co-sponsors in the Senate (out of 100 Senators) and 317 co-sponsors in the House (out of 435 Representatives). Chances are that your Congressman is on board, and at least one of your Senators.

If the Act ever comes up for a vote, it will pass, and the President has already indicated that he will sign it. At this point, the only question is whether it will actually get voted on during this session of Congress. It never reached the voting stage last year, and it could die again this year.

That's the thing, if the auto industry lobbyists spent the money on the right senators, it quietly never makes it to a vote. Hasn't been lost for them until it passes. With radio and especially AM's rapidly decreasing relevance, by the time the law would go into effect if it does pass it may already be over.