U.S. turns down the volume on loud TV commercials

Daily News Article   —   Posted on December 14, 2012

Note: This article is from the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph.

(from the Daily Telegraph) – Television advertising that is much louder than the programming it interrupts will be banned in the US after complaints from viewers.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will ban broadcasters from airing excessively loud commercials beginning [Dec. 13], saying the breaks must maintain the “same average volume” of accompanying TV shows.

Loud commercials have been a source of complaints to the FCC since its call center began reporting the top complaints from consumers in 2002.

Since January 2008, the FCC has received about 1,000 complaints and about 5,000 inquiries [about loud ads], the commission said.

The…CALM Act (Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation) was passed by Congress in 2010 and the final deadline passed today.  [Although President Obama signed the bill two years ago, it took time for the FCC to draw up rules, and for industry groups to work through the technical issues and come into compliance.]

The passage of the legislation was hampered by claims that loudness was subjective and that volume controls were sufficient for consumers to regulate the noise. [So for years, the commission advised customers to mute their TVs or lower the volume.]

The CALM Act bill was one of few in contemporary American politics to enjoy bipartisan* support, passing the Senate unanimously and the House by a voice vote. [*bipartisan:  involving members of two parties]

Bill supporters Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-California, and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, and industry representatives [held] an event in Washington on Thursday to mark the full implementation of the law.

Non-commercial television stations are exempt from the act, though political advertisements on these channels must comply regardless.

[The FCC will not monitor compliance, but instead will rely on consumer complaints to assist the commission to enforce the rule.]

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