Television viewers will have their ears saved thanks to a new law that takes effect tonight. The law ends those commercials that are so loud that viewers have to turn down the volume on their television when the show they are watching heads to a break, according to ABC News.
The law is The CALM Act and it was signed by President Barack Obama in 2010. The Federal Communications Commission passed the act a year ago today. CALM is short for Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation and it requires cable and broadcast stations to make sure commercials are not louder than the average volume of the show in which they air.
In September of 2010, during a lame-duck session of Congress, the original bill was passed into law. Now, two years later, the commercials with excessively loud sounds will bring repercussions to the stations that air them.
Staff members at the FCC said that they will need the help of the public to enforce the new law. The public is being asked to report commercials they think are too loud compared to the volume of the show they are watching when the commercial airs.
Television stations were given one year to implement the new rules from the FCC and two waivers have already been granted by the FCC. Those two stations that received waivers will have until the middle of March to make sure their commercials meet the requirements.
When the CALM Act was introduced on December 8, 2009, it was sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, R-R.I.
“Loud TV commercials have been among the most common consumer complaints to the FCC for decades now,” Whitehouse said in an email today. “While this is a small issue compared to the big challenges facing our nation, it is an unnecessary annoyance in the daily lives of many Americans, and I’m glad to have done something about it.”
