CALM Act will bring relief to the ears of consumers

Blaring television advertisements took another step toward extinction today when the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1084, the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act. The bill will prevent television advertisements from playing at a volume noticeably above the programs during which they air.
 
“Consumers should not have their hearing assaulted in an attempt to grab their attention,” Pingree said. “Under the CALM Act, consumers will no longer have to hit the mute button because of excessively loud television ads.”
 
Loud commercials have been at the top of consumer complaints to the FCC for decades. Current official FCC policy recommends that consumers “mute” commercials if they find them excessively strident. Under the CALM Act, advertisers will have one year to adopt industry technology which modulates sound levels and prevents overly loud commercials.
 
“The CALM Act is an easy fix for a tremendous nuisance and enjoys bipartisan support as well as the enthusiasm of consumers,” Pingree said. Companion legislation to the CALM Act has been introduced in the Senate.