U.S. Senator Shelly Moore Capito, R-W.Va., has joined the fight to keep AM radio installed in new vehicles.
Capito has co-sponsored the AM for Every Vehicle Act, a proposed measure that directs federal regulators to require automakers to maintain AM broadcast radio in their new vehicles at no additional charge.
The bill passed out of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee earlier this week, and can now be considered by the full Senate.
“In West Virginia, we rely on AM radio for many things from road and weather updates, to high school football games and local broadcasts,” Capito said. “It’s important that it is maintained in new vehicles without additional costs burdening consumers. I’m proud to join this effort and look forward to this legislation being considered by the full Senate.”
Capito was joined by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas and U.S. Senator Ed Markey, D-Mass., in co-sponsoring the legislation.
On the state level, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has joined a multi-state coalition that is fighting to keep AM radio in new vehicles.
The 15 states, which include the neighboring Commonwealth of Virginia, argue the move to eliminate AM radio from new vehicles is detrimental to the safety and well-being of the public.
“This is absurd, to say the least,” Morrisey said in an earlier statement. “The public warning system relies on AM stations to warn people of an impending emergency — as we all know, when nearly everything else quits working, you can rely on AM radio to function when it’s needed the most.”
West Virginia and Virginia joined Florida, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Utah in asking the manufacturers to keep AM radio in new vehicles.