Automakers spent about $6.3 million in the third quarter lobbying against the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act after the measure cleared the House in September, as the bill remains stalled in the Senate with no vote expected before the midterms.
According to media reports, Toyota Motor North America reported roughly $1.7 million, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation about $1.5 million, Tesla $650,000, Honda $520,000, Volkswagen Group of America $420,000, and BMW of North America $230,000. Lucid USA reported $80,000 and Mazda $60,000. Other groups that have opposed pro-radio measures, including the Consumer Technology Association and SoundExchange, spent $810,000 and $290,000, respectively.
Outside firms also filed reports citing the bill, including Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck for SoundExchange ($110,000), Invariant for Toyota ($90,000), Akin Gump for the Alliance ($80,000), Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid for Volvo Car Corporation ($50,000), and Polaris-Hutton Group for General Motors ($40,000).
Tesla, Volkswagen, and Volvo have already removed AM radio from some models; Tesla has also moved to drop the FM band in certain vehicles.
Radio Ink reports broadcasters and allies reported about $3.7 million in filings citing the bill. The National Association of Broadcasters led with $2.7 million, followed by iHeartMedia at $988,568 and Salem Media Group at $30,000. Fire service groups reported additional amounts: the International Association of Fire Fighters ($204,309), the International Association of Fire Chiefs ($30,000), and the National Volunteer Fire Council ($10,000). Eleven outside firms working for NAB and iHeartMedia cited the bill in reports totaling $460,000, while firms for the Nevada and North Carolina broadcasters associations added $30,000. The American Farm Bureau Federation reported $196,915 in filings that also referenced the legislation.
The House passed H.R. 979 by voice vote in September under suspension of the rules after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise pulled it from a surface transportation package, where it had been included in May. The Senate companion, S. 315, has more than 60 bipartisan cosponsors—enough to overcome a filibuster—but faces procedural hurdles. Sen. Chuck Grassley said earlier this month that the bill would need unanimous consent, which a single objection can block, or attachment to year-end legislation such as a rural health care package, a tax bill, or appropriations.