AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025

The bill would direct the Secretary of Transportation, consulting with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission, to issue a rule within one year of enactment requiring AM radio receivers to be installed as standard, no-additional-cost equipment in all new passenger vehicles manufactured for sale in the United States, imported into the U.S., or shipped in interstate commerce. The rule must take effect 2–3 years after issuance for most manufacturers, and at least 4 years after issuance for smaller manufacturers that produced no more than 40,000 vehicles for U.S. sale in 2022. Manufacturers may comply by installing equipment capable of receiving digital audio AM broadcasts.

During the period before the rule takes effect, manufacturers that omit AM radio must clearly label vehicles to disclose the omission and may not charge buyers any extra fee for AM access. The bill would also preempt any state or local requirements on AM radio access in vehicles, set up federal civil-penalty and civil-action enforcement tools, and sunset the rule entirely 10 years after enactment. Additionally, the Comptroller General would be required to study and report to Congress on the role of AM broadcast stations in the national emergency-alert system relative to other technologies.

Passenger vehicle manufacturers — including domestic producers and importers — who would face a new federal equipment mandate. New-car buyers who would be assured of AM radio access at no extra cost. Consumers who rely on AM radio for emergency alerts, particularly during disasters when cell and internet infrastructure may fail. State governments, which would be preempted from setting their own rules on vehicle AM radio access.

If enacted, automakers that have been removing AM radio from electric and other newer vehicles — or charging subscription fees for the feature — would be required to restore it as baseline equipment at no charge to buyers. For the public, AM radio's distinctive reach during regional emergencies (when cell networks can be overwhelmed or damaged) is the central stake; the bill's backers argue no current technology offers the same low-cost, wide-area broadcast resilience.

DOT would have one year to issue the rule in consultation with FEMA and the FCC, then manufacturers would have 2–3 years (or 4 years for small manufacturers) to comply before the mandate takes effect. In the interim, non-compliant manufacturers must label vehicles and waive any AM-access fees. DOT would enforce the rule through existing civil-penalty authority under 49 U.S.C. § 30165, and the Attorney General could seek an injunction under 49 U.S.C. § 30163. DOT must report to Congress every five years on the rule's public-safety impacts. The entire rule sunsets 10 years after enactment. The GAO must brief Congress within one year and submit a written report 180 days later on emergency-alert dissemination and AM radio's role in IPAWS.