Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act

"CALM Act" redirects here. For the Western Australian Legislation, see Conservation and Land Management Act 1984.

The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (H.R. 1084/S. 2847) (CALM Act) requires the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to bar the audio of TV commercials from being broadcast louder than the TV program material they accompany by requiring all "multichannel video programming" distributors to implement the "Techniques for Establishing and Maintaining Audio Loudness for Digital Television" issued by the international industry group Advanced Television Systems Committee.[1][2] The final bill was passed on September 29, 2010.[3]

No specific penalties are given; those are to be set by the FCC in its regulations. A TV broadcaster or distributor is "in compliance" if it installs and uses suitable equipment and software.[2] Unlike some FCC regulations, cable system operators are subject to the rule in addition to broadcast stations.[2]

After issuing regulations, the FCC began enforcing those regulations on December 13, 2012,[4][5][6] after a one-year grace period.[7]

  1. ^ Hart, Kim (June 19, 2008). "Bringing Down the Volume of Loud Commercials". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "111th Congress Public Law 311". From the U.S. Government Printing Office.
  3. ^ Andre Yoskowitz (September 30, 2010). "Congress passes bill that will limit TV commercial volume". Afterdawn.com. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  4. ^ "Quieter Commercials: CALM Act Goes Into Affect [sic]". ABC News. 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  5. ^ "Shhhh! A new law, the CALM Act is taking effect to keep TV commercials from blasting viewsers". The Washington Post. December 12, 2012.[dead link‍]
  6. ^ Holmes, Linda (December 13, 2012). "The 'Calm Act' Will Quiet Down Commercials, So What Should Congress Do Next?". NPR. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  7. ^ Condon, Stephanie (December 2, 2010). "Congress Lowers Volume on Blaring Commercials - Political Hotsheet". CBS News. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2011.