Last month, members of the House Commerce Committee were joined by committee leaders Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Frank Pallone (D.N.J.) and Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee Leader Gus. It is led by Rep. Bilirakis (R-Florida). .) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois) — hearing in AM radio based on vehicle law.
The bill, introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), would require all U.S. manufacturers to include AM radios in their cars, making it a law. Enforcement agencies, emergency management experts and American personnel would be allowed inside the vehicle. He remains at risk with access to one of the nation’s most reliable and effective public safety tools.
Mr. Bilirakis at the public hearing Said“Having a robust and widely accessible communications infrastructure is critical to alerting Americans and ensuring public safety during emergencies and natural disasters.”
He’s right.Therefore, the federal government National public warning systemThis is highly dependent on the geographic reach and resilience of AM radio stations. Because these stations are an essential part of our warning system, the federal government has spent millions to harden the system to protect their signals from interruptions.
Thanks to their funding and care, authorities can provide life-saving information to the public even during the worst of the crisis, when demand surges or severe weather disrupts mobile phone and internet coverage. is guaranteed.
Rep. Kathy Castor (Democrat of Florida), Rep. Pallone, and Rep. Rogers quoted Recent examples include the nationwide cell phone outage in February, the Midwest tornadoes in late April, and Hurricane Ida, all of which resulted in AM radio being the only medium people had access to for information. This is an example from the era.
As a former lieutenant with the New York City Police Department, I know how important AM radio was to our emergency response efforts on September 11, 2001, when cellphone networks remained congested and unreliable. I’ll never forget it. Without AM radio, my co-workers and I would not have been able to work as efficiently as we did that fateful day and in the days that followed.
same it was true During Hurricane Sandy, more than 1 million people in the New York area listened to AM radio in 15 minutes. This was a 70% increase over typical numbers at the time. AM radio connected affected residents with the disaster response managers and emergency supply personnel needed to stay safe and protected.
Given the importance of AM radio in times of crisis, what the anchors reported should come as a surprise to no one. at a public hearing Seven former FEMA directors, from the Clinton administration to the Trump administration, sent a letter to the committee calling on the committee to vote on a universal vehicle AM radio law before the start of hurricane season in June.
“FEMA has spent millions of taxpayer dollars creating and strengthening the National Public Alert System to communicate with the public during crises.” they wrote. “We rely primarily on AM radio because it is the only communications system with the range and resiliency to ensure elected leaders and public safety officials can communicate with the public even under the worst conditions.”
For all of these reasons, Congress passed it and the President signed it into law in 2016. Comprehensive Warning and Warning System Modernization Act To protect the National Public Alert System. So it makes sense that Congress would unite again to block automakers (and the federal government will continue to do so). give a subsidy very), this public safety obligation today will not be compromised.
On the same day as the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act hearing, Mr. Cruz and Mr. Markey announced The AM Radio Act passed a significant milestone in the Senate with 60 co-sponsors.
This filibuster-blocking majority ensures passage of the bill if Sen. Chuck Schumer (New York) calls it for a vote. The bill would do just as well if Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) introduced a similar bill in the House of Representatives, since most lawmakers have already signed on to the effort.
It’s unusual for Congress to be so bipartisan, but this effort proves that the Legislature can put aside partisan differences to keep voters safe. The safety of Americans is independent of political party affiliation. That truism should comfort us all and give us optimism for the future.
Dr. Darrin Porcher He is an adjunct professor at Pace University in New York City, where he teaches and researches issues related to criminal justice and law enforcement.
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