Congress finally does something: Advertisers required to turn down the volume

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We interrupt regularly scheduled news to inform you that Congress approved legislation Thursday to turn down the volume on loud television commercials, an annoyance that has generated millions of consumer complaints to the Federal Communications Commission. The bill now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.

The Commercial Advertising Loudness Mitigation, or CALM, Act requires TV advertisers to ensure their ads don’t play at a volume louder than regular TV programming. The 50-year global quest to determine what separates a deafening ad from a merely loud ad and devise ways to tame the volume was the subject of a Wall Street Journal feature Wednesday.

The House gave final congressional approval to the bill this evening.

“Consumers have been asking for a solution to this problem for decades, and today they finally have it.” Said Rep. Anna Eshoo (D., Calif.), who sponsored the House version of the bill. The bill, she said, “gives consumers peace of mind, because it puts them in control of the sound in their homes.”

The FCC has gotten daily complaints about loud TV ads dating virtually to the dawn of TV. But since 1984, the nation’s electronic broadcasting regulator has simply told deafened viewers to hit the “mute” button on their remote controls.

Under the CALM Act, the FCC must require advertisers to adopt industry technology which modulates sound levels and prevents overly loud commercials within one year.

“Consumers will no longer have to experience being blasted at. It’s a simple fix to a huge nuisance,” Ms. Eshoo said.

Sure, Congress still must debate taxes and funding the federal government before its final session of the year ends this month. But the bill was so popular it passed both chambers of Congress within weeks.

“While this is far from the biggest issue we face, it will mean one less daily annoyance in our lives,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D., R.I.), who sponsored the bill in the Senate.

Thanks to our friend Elizabeth Williamson at the Washington Wire

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