The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has passed the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act one year after Congress passed legislation by the same name. Congress directed the FCC to promulgate and adopt enforcement rules to ensure that TV commercials would air at the same noise level as regular TV programming. Cable and satellite operators, along with local broadcasters will be required to regulate commercial volumes beginning in December 2012.
More information about the previously passed legislation is below.
The CALM (Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation) Act creates a standard for the volume of cable and broadcast commercials and officially adopts the Advanced Television Systems Committee's (ATSC) recommended practices for variations in commercial volume in relation to the programs around them. The bill eliminates obtrusively loud television commercials that aim to grab viewers’ attention by boosting the volume level over the surrounding programming. The Federal Communications Commission is the agency charged with carrying out the new law and regulating commercial volume per the ATSC recommendations. Cable operators and broadcasters have one year from the law's adoption to comply, however, small cable operators for whom the mandate poses a financial hardship may seek a waiver for an extended compliance date.