H.R. 979 — AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025

This section establishes definitions for 18 terms used in the Act, including (1) Administrator (i.e., FEMA Administrator); (2) AM broadcast band (i.e., frequencies between 535 kilohertz and 1705 kilohertz); (3) AM broadcast station (i.e., FCC-licensed station operating in the AM band); (4) appropriate committees of Congress (i.e., specified Senate and House committees); (5) automated driving system (i.e., SAE International Levels 3, 4, or 5); (6) digital audio AM broadcast station (i.e., AM station using In Band On Channel DAB, excluding all-digital AM stations); (7) IPAWS (i.e., the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System under the Homeland Security Act of 2002); and (8) standard equipment (i.e., motor vehicle equipment installed as originally manufactured at no extra cost). It also defines related terms such as device, manufacturer, passenger motor vehicle, radio broadcast station, receive, Secretary (i.e., of Transportation), signal, and State (including territories and tribes).

This section requires the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator and the Federal Communications Commission, to issue a rule within one year of enactment mandating devices capable of receiving and playing AM broadcast station signals as standard equipment in passenger motor vehicles manufactured in the United States for sale there, imported into the United States, or shipped in interstate commerce after the rule's effective date; ensures such access is easily available to drivers; and permits compliance via digital audio AM receivers. (1) Before issuing the rule, the Secretary must submit a report to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee—and publicly post it on the Department of Transportation website—evaluating potential adverse impacts of AM signal reception on automotive innovation and motor vehicle safety (particularly for vehicles with automated driving systems) and mitigation solutions available to manufacturers. (2) The rule's effective date is not more than two years after issuance for most manufacturers and at least four years after issuance for those producing not more than 40,000 passenger motor vehicles for U.S. sale in 2022. For passenger motor vehicles manufactured after enactment but before the rule's effective date that lack AM receivers, manufacturers must provide clear and conspicuous labeling notifying purchasers and may not impose any additional fee for AM access beyond the vehicle's base price. This section preempts any state or local law, regulation, or requirement on AM broadcast access in passenger motor vehicles after enactment. Violations of the rule are subject to civil penalties under 49 U.S.C. §30165(a)(1) and civil actions by the Attorney General for injunctive relief under 49 U.S.C. §30163(a), treating the rule as an NHTSA-prescribed regulation under those sections. (Thus, the Department of Transportation notifies potential violators when practicable and provides opportunities to remedy before Attorney General action, per existing 49 U.S.C. §30163(b).) This section also directs the Comptroller General to study public dissemination of emergency alerts and warnings through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS)—including the role of passenger motor vehicles and AM stations, comparative advantages and limitations of AM versus other IPAWS technologies, and presidential reach capabilities—and to consult specified stakeholders, with a briefing to congressional committees required within one year of enactment.