Audio Video News

Legislation that would control the abusive blare of television ads passed in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday.

H.R. 1084, the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, passed the House by a voice vote. An identical bill has been introduced in the Senate.

The CALM Act was drafted Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and introduced by her along with 19 cosponsors. She first introduced it last year.

CALM would not set a specific absolute volume level for TV commercials. Instead it would control the relative level of ads with respect to programming. There are already industry standards for TV audio but advertisers routinely flout the rules by mixing ad soundtracks at the top of the allowable level. Since the main programming usually operates at a wider range of volume, the ad seems subjectively louder. The difference can be not only obvious but strident, fatiguing, and even painful.

Eshoo's official website says: "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."

Says Eshoo herself: "This problem has existed for more than 50 years, but no one has properly addressed it. Under the CALM Act, consumers will no longer have to dive for the mute button. It's been a singular pleasure working on this legislation. The CALM Act is an easy fix for a tremendous nuisance. In my 17 years in the House of Representatives, I've never carried a bill which has been received with so much enthusiasm by people across the country."

The CALM Act now goes to the Senate, where it has already been introduced by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) with the cosponsorship of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Noted Whitehouse: "With the digital transition complete and new broadcast technology available, we can finally take this long-overdue action to dial down to normal the loudness of these ads." Added Schumer: "The last thing television watchers want is an advertisement shouting at them every time a TV program takes a commercial break."

See Rep. Eshoo press release, Sen. Whitehouse press release, and text of legislation.