“I like the notion that we are going to continue to have good old-fashioned ham radio and car radio,” Cantwell said.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr reinforced the bill’s significance, referencing recent firsthand accounts of AM radio’s role in disaster response.
“Millions of Americans depend on the value of AM radio and the local news that AM broadcasters offer in communities across the country,” Carr said. He cited a recent visit to North Carolina, where residents relied on AM radio for lifesaving information following Hurricane Helene.
Carr credited the bill’s sponsors, Sens. Ted Cruz and Ed Markey, D-Mass., for ensuring that AM radio remains a staple in new vehicles, calling it a “linchpin of our emergency response system.”
Senate Panel Strengthens Broadband Vetting Process
Alongside the AM radio bill, the committee approved the Rural Broadband Protection Act, sponsored by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., to establish a more rigorous vetting process for applicants seeking federal broadband expansion funds.
