Gov't asks viewers to police too-loud TV ads

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve rules implementing legislation that makes it illegal for advertisers to pump up the volume during television commercial breaks.

The law, called the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, aims to answer the complaints of Americans who have for years protested that commercials are too loud.

"The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today took a major step toward eliminating one of the most persistent problems of the television age - loud commercials," the FCC said in a statement following the passage of the CALM rules. "Congress gave the Commission, for the first time, authority to address the problem of excessive commercial loudness."

The legislation, which is slated to go into effect on December 13, 2012, dictates that cable providers be responsible for the volume of the advertisements they run, both locally and nationally.

According the FCC, the new law will require that "commercials have the same average volume as the programs they accompany" and will establish "simple, practical ways for stations and [multichannel video program distributors] MVPDs to demonstrate their compliance with the rules."

The commission argues that a year will give distributors "ample time" to fully comply with the new guidelines. Penalties for failure to compliance have not yet been determined.

According to the FCC, all stations and distributors are responsible for complying with the rules. If the Commission sees a pattern or trend of complaints indicating noncompliance by a smaller entity -- some of which have argued that implementing the new regulations will be costly -- that entity can either provide evidence contradicting the complaint, or spot-check the audio on the offending channel.

On its website, the FCC encourages consumers to "report TV commercials that seem louder than the program they follow to the FCC" as a means to "identify possible problem areas" and help evaluate the legislation's effectiveness once it goes into effect.

California Democratic Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, who sponsored the legislation, praised the FCC vote.

"TV stations now have the responsibility to turn down the volume on excessively loud commercials, and it's about time," she said.

"The law I wrote is simple - the volume of television commercials cannot be louder than regular programming," she added. "Households across the country will soon get the relief they deserve from the annoyance of blaringly loud television commercials."

The CALM Act passed unanimously in the Senate in September 2010, and was approved by a voice vote in the House December of that same year. President Obama signed the bill into law shortly thereafter, before the FCC set to work establishing the rules approved on Tuesday.

[ghostie2u]

I find it unbelievable that commercials seem to be the issue when clearly there is an issue with nudity on television. This afternoon before 3pm there was a show on TBS that showed a man's rear nude. No different, I guess than when they show women's nude rears. They barely cover the private areas on television anymore. I laugh when I hear someone complain about the teen pregnancy rate, yet they condone television, magazines, and the internet showing nudidy, etc. Gee, what do you think kids think about when this is all that is put in front of them by our own society? And, yes, lol, I also think commercials are too loud and way too many of them.

[RedNex1]

i would like to know when they are going to stop using so many commercial breaks, i watch a TV show or a movie, and not even 5 mins into it, BAM commercial for 10 mins and its the most ridiculous commercials that air on TV, i don't mind commercial but when they show it too much or replay the same one over and over that's where i get irritated. guess what i'm trying to say is yea have commercials but not the ridiculous ones, show commercials like what movie is coming out, or what restaurant have to offer, or new deals at a store. but commercial that shows, dating, shopping channel for only 9.95 only on TV that kind of stuffs eliminate those, and kill the commercial time i mean we are watching a TV shows that last 30 mins or a movie that's 2 hours long, but i feel like they try to push the commercials in too hard when we pay good money to have satellites or cable to watch TV or Movies not Commercials i mean we have wayy too much Advertisement as it is, internet, TV, papers, signs, IN other words show cut commercials' time and show commercials that really matters

[SIRPUFFSALOTABUD]

Can anyone name a commercial that I can watch for that has this volume issue, I have never seen or heard any ad louder that my Television I am watching, possibly have been way too high to notice, but anywho, let me know.

[Geroegor]

Yes abilify is way toooo loud. Very annoying.

[bjr385]

I can hardly wait for December 13, as until then, I am limiting my TV watching out of exhaustion with the trying to keep control of the loudness. I mean it is just too much effort after awhile. Seems to me there's all this commercial money for the broadcaster, who is supposed to provide a service, seems we the listeners are just the vehicle to get the broadcaster money and the service to the listener be dammed.

[dlaldhkTtmq]

http://youtu.be/zXKV78VERio

[bobnjersey]

[The commission argues that a year will give distributors "ample time" to fully comply with the new guidelines. Penalties for failure to compliance have not yet been determined.]
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a year before it goes into effect ... no penalties defined for non-compliance ... asking viewers to report violations?

are they kidding?

how about it goes into effect next week ... the 3 time violator is banned from advertising on tv anymore ... and they use some automated audio level detection (level change) software to do the policing ... with it recording the programs that violate for validation purposes.

who's actually writing these laws ... the advertisers?

[tickyul]

I feel violent too.....these scum........blare the stupid commercials.......jerks.

[rockcutr]

toothless

[LosAngelesCA]

They passed this law a long time ago. I remember calling my mother because WE HATE commercials because they are so damn loud. It is about time. My ears and mute buttons are worn out.

[zbcbs]

Its about time! Oh and for SuhisaBeast, i guess that means you really hate those huckabee commercials also

[windmillchaser]

Now, now, now. This is another government interference in to the market place. If you don't like the commercial don't buy the product. Sound familiar? It should. There is good a government can and should do. All government is not bad. Remember the lead that was in candy from Mexico? Remember the Republicans saying that the spinach farmers did not need help. They had just been hit with a case of salmonella. How about all the hamburger recalls? Cut the budget of some of these departments are your own peril. Remember that when some congressmen tells you we don't need this dept. or that dept. of government.