Gallagher and Gottheimer Question FEMA on AM Radio

Two House members wrote to Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell seeking answers about removing AM radio from electric vehicles. “We seek more clarity on the specific threats this poses” to the emergency alert system “and what FEMA is doing to ensure the EAS can continue to carry out its vital role,” said the letter Thursday from Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J. “Especially given the growth in sales of EVs, it is vital for FEMA to make clear the negative impacts that lacking access to AM radio will have on public safety infrastructure.” The letter asks if FEMA did anything to dissuade removing AM radios, and how that removal would affect alerting systems. “America’s local radio broadcasters look forward to continued engagement with Administrator Criswell and her senior team to address this short-sighted decision by some automakers,” said an NAB news release on the letter.