AM Radio Saves Lives. Congress Must Save It.

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(TNS) – As an elected official in the Commonwealth of Kentucky who heard from countless constituents that AM radio served as their lifeline during our last public safety emergency (the deadly tornadoes that left most of our homes powerless, damaged, or destroyed), I couldn’t be more disappointed in the select automakers who are removing AM radio from their new vehicle models.

Why are they doing this? Well, they say it’s because the motors of their electric vehicles interfere with the AM signal. But this issue is easily fixable, and many other auto companies have already made the cheap adjustment needed to protect their customers’ access to AM.

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron sent a letter to the industry last month urging it to wake up. All seven former heads of FEMA from the Clinton through Trump administrations sent a similar letter in February. Yet, the industry remains stubborn in its intentions of removing AM radio. Why?

It’s not as if they don’t have the money to make this cheap fix. They recently received hundreds of billions in government incentives from Congress while cashing considerable sums of subsidies and other forms of largesse from the legislative branch since then. No other industry in recent memory has enjoyed such support from the American taxpayer. They have no excuse for dragging their feet on addressing this issue that’s paramount to protecting public safety in a natural disaster-prone commonwealth like ours.

The stakes here are meaningful to the safety of Kentuckians and the national security of all Americans. While millions of people listen to AM radio for news, talk, and sports, FEMA utilizes AM radio stations to serve as the foundation of the nation’s National Public Warning System. FEMA has invested significant resources in AM stations’ redundancies to ensure the government can communicate with the population in the event of a national or regional disaster. As we all witnessed up close and personal during the tornadoes, state and local emergency responders also rely on AM stations to communicate with the citizenry before, during and after emergencies. Public safety should not be treated as an option by automakers.

I’m not alone in thinking like this. Kentucky Congressman Harold Rogers, along with Sens. Ted Cruz and 162 other members of Congress, agree and they recently released legislation called the AM for Every Vehicle Act to resolve the problem. But will this bill ever get called for a roll call vote on the House and Senate Floors so it can be enacted into law?

With Kentucky’s representatives in influential congressional leadership positions, including Sen. Mitch McConnell, who serves as the Senate’s Minority Leader and Sen. Rand Paul, who serves as the Ranking Member of the congressional committee that has direct jurisdiction over FEMA, Kentuckians should certainly have every reason for optimism that their congressional delegation will do everything it can to make sure this happens.

Attorney General Cameron recently told the auto industry that “it is vitally important that federal, state, and local officials be able to deliver emergency warnings and other information to their citizens.” AM radio, which covers over “90 percent of the U.S. population and ensures that state and federal agencies can quickly, dependably, and cheaply distribute life-saving information across vast geographical areas,” is often the easiest way for them to do so.

And in many cases, it’s the only way they can.

Just ask the victims of the December 2021 Western Kentucky tornadoes who said local stations’ detailed coverage saved their lives. Many of my constituents here in Western Kentucky reported the same to me and my staff.

The most fundamental (and perhaps only) role of a government is to protect the rights and lives of its citizens. This includes defense against all threats — foreign and domestic — including natural disasters and public emergencies. The most conservative and the most liberal members of Congress have united in sponsoring the AM for Every Vehicle Act because public safety does not have a party affiliation. I have no doubt that Kentucky’s influential elected officials will ensure this bill passes without delay.

Kevin Jackson represents District 20 in the Kentucky House of Representatives. He lives in Bowling Green.