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Italian broadcast industry association Confindustria Radio Televisioni has welcomed the European Commission’s decision supporting Italy’s legislative push to require FM and DAB+ radio receivers in motor vehicles.
The organization said the European Commission had recognized the validity of Italy’s initiative requiring vehicles to include FM and DAB+ reception capability. Confindustria Radio Televisioni represents a broad cross-section of Italy’s television, radio, satellite and broadcast infrastructure sectors, including public broadcaster Rai, commercial broadcasters and network operators.
The issue has become increasingly significant across Europe as broadcasters and industry groups push back against attempts by some car manufacturers to reduce or remove terrestrial radio access from vehicle dashboards in favor of connected infotainment systems.
Antonio Marano, president of Confindustria Radio Televisioni, said radio continues to play an important role in public safety, media plurality and emergency communications. “Radio remains an essential safeguard for safety, pluralism and social cohesion,” Marano said. “The European endorsement demonstrates that Italy has successfully defended a principle of public interest, even before industrial interests.”
#RadioInAuto campaign
The association said the decision from Brussels supports the technical and political arguments presented by Italy and reinforces radio’s position within modern mobility systems. It also credited its #RadioInAuto campaign and ongoing discussions with national and European policymakers for helping secure the outcome.
Marano said the inclusion of radio tuners in vehicles should be viewed as a matter of universal access rather than a design preference. “We have demonstrated that the inclusion of a radio tuner is not merely a design detail, but a guarantee of universal access to information,” Marano said. “It is a right of citizens and an essential element for the resilience of the communications system.”
Confindustria Radio Televisioni also thanked Italy’s Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy, along with industry organizations and collecting societies including Evolution, Itsright, Nuovo Imaie, SCF and Soundreef, for supporting the initiative.
“Now we must complete the process,” Marano said. “Politics must play its part by definitively approving legislation that ensures full protection for citizens and broadcasters and that supports technological innovation without sacrificing the public value of radio.”
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