{{Short description|2010 United States legislation}} {{redirect|CALM Act|the Western Australian Legislation|Conservation and Land Management Act 1984}} {{Use American English|date=June 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}} The '''Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act''' ({{USBill|111|HR|1084}}/{{USBill|111|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.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hart |first=Kim |url= http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2008/06/bringing_down_the_volume_of_lo.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121109221842/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2008/06/bringing_down_the_volume_of_lo.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= November 9, 2012 |title= Bringing Down the Volume of Loud Commercials |publisher= The Washington Post |date=June 19, 2008 |access-date= December 27, 2016}}</ref><ref name=CALM>{{cite web |url= http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ311/html/PLAW-111publ311.htm |title= 111th Congress Public Law 311 |publisher= From the U.S. Government Printing Office}}</ref> The final bill was passed on September 29, 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2010/09/30/congress_passes_bill_that_will_limit_tv_commercial_volume |title= Congress passes bill that will limit TV commercial volume |author= Andre Yoskowitz |work= Afterdawn.com |date=September 30, 2010 |access-date= July 25, 2018}}</ref>
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.<ref name=CALM/> Unlike some FCC regulations, cable system operators are subject to the rule in addition to broadcast stations.<ref name=CALM/>
After issuing regulations, the FCC began enforcing those regulations on December 13, 2012,<ref>{{cite web |title=Quieter Commercials: CALM Act Goes Into Affect [sic] |url= https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/quieter-commercials-calm-act-affect-17964863 |work=ABC News |date=2016 |access-date= September 17, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Shhhh! A new law, the CALM Act is taking effect to keep TV commercials from blasting viewsers |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/shhhh-a-new-law-the-calm-act-is-taking-effect-to-keep-tv-commercials-from-blasting-viewers/2012/12/12/a093f450-44b8-11e2-8c8f-fbebf7ccab4e_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date= December 12, 2012 }}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} </ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Linda |last=Holmes |title=The 'Calm Act' Will Quiet Down Commercials, So What Should Congress Do Next? |url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2012/12/13/167153799/the-calm-act-will-quiet-down-commercials-so-what-should-congress-do-next |publisher=NPR |date= December 13, 2012 |access-date=September 17, 2016}}</ref> after a one-year grace period.<ref>{{cite news |last=Condon |first= Stephanie |url= http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20024495-503544.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101203204758/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20024495-503544.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= December 3, 2010 |title= Congress Lowers Volume on Blaring Commercials - Political Hotsheet |work=CBS News |date= December 2, 2010 |access-date=February 16, 2011}}</ref>
==History== {{Update section|date=November 2016}} The bill was the U.S. Senate companion to proposed legislation in the House of Representatives by Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. She said she was motivated to write the bill after a loud commercial interrupted conversation at a family dinner; when she turned to her brother-in-law, asking him to "do something" about the loud television, he replied, "Well, you're the congresswoman. Why don't you do something about it?".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-calm-act-nixes-loud-tv-commercials-20121213,0,5381639.story | work=Los Angeles Times | first=Paul | last=Whitefield | title=Hugh Hefner will like the CALM Act. Other boomers? Maybe not | date=December 13, 2012}}</ref> According to Eshoo, no one turned her down when she looked for supporters to the bill, and it passed the Communications Subcommittee. The technical requirements for measuring loudness were taken entirely from a formerly voluntary "recommended practice" issued by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) on November 4, 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/383036-ATSC_Makes_Progress_On_Loudness_Problem.php?rssid=20103&q=digital+tv |title=ATSC Makes Progress On Loudness Problem |last=Dickson |first=Glen |date=November 5, 2009 |work=Broadcasting & Cable |access-date=November 10, 2009}}</ref> Eshoo told ''The Wall Street Journal'' that legislation to mitigate the volume of commercials on TV was among the most popular pieces of legislation she has sponsored in her 18 years in Congress.<ref>{{cite news |title=Well, Hush My Mouth: Congress Is Moving Against LOUD Ads --- After Decades of Complaints, Law Makers Are Yielding to Popular Demand |last1= Michaels |first1= Daniel |last2= Williamson |first2= Elizabeth |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=December 1, 2010 }}</ref>
Prior to adjourning for the midterm recess, the United States Senate unanimously passed the bill on September 30, 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/30/congress-to-turn-down-the-volume-on-tv-ads/?iref=allsearch |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008161006/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/30/congress-to-turn-down-the-volume-on-tv-ads/?iref=allsearch |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 8, 2012 |title=Congress to turn down the volume on TV ads |last=Preston |first=Mark |date=September 30, 2010 |access-date=October 3, 2010 |work=CNN}}</ref> Before it was signed into law in December, minor differences between the two versions had to be worked out when Congress returned to Washington after the November 2 election.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/30/AR2010093002968.html |title= Senate votes to turn down volume on TV commercials |last=Taylor |first=Andrew |date= September 30, 2010 |access-date= October 4, 2010 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> The reconciled bill was signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 15, 2010, as Public Law 111–311.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/laws/past/111-second-session.txt |title=Public Laws of the 111th Congress, Second Session |access-date=April 11, 2011}}</ref>
On May 27, 2011, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), Media Bureau (MB) Docket 11–93, to implement the CALM Act. Twelve parties filed comments, which are now available in the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS).
The FCC adopted its rules on December 13, 2011, and they took effect on December 13, 2012. Television viewers are asked to report loud commercials that violate this bill to the FCC.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/loud-commercials |title=Loud Commercials |publisher=FCC.gov |date=December 13, 2011 |access-date=October 23, 2012}}</ref>
However the act does not affect streaming, cable, and internet commercials, so loud commercials still occur in those mediums.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{cite web |url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ311/html/PLAW-111publ311.htm |title=111th Congress Public Law 311 |publisher=From the U.S. Government Printing Office}} *[http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/loud-commercials FCC's Loud Commercials Page] *{{cite web |url=http://www.qualisaudio.com/documents/TechNote-1.pdf |title=Loudness Measurements and the CALM Act |publisher=Qualis Audio |access-date=March 10, 2011}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130906103731/http://www.atsc.org/cms/index.php/standards/recommended-practices/185-a85-techniques-for-establishing-and-maintaining-audio-loudness-for-digital-television ATSC Recommended Practice A/85 – Techniques for Establishing and Maintaining Audio Loudness for Digital Television] *{{cite web |url=http://www.orban.com/products/television/8685/ |title=Optimod 8685 - allowing stations to comply effortlessly with the requirements of the CALM act. |publisher=Orban |access-date=April 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227000446/http://www.orban.com/products/television/8685/ |archive-date=February 27, 2011 |url-status=dead }} *[http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/loud-commercials FCC Encyclopedia: Loud Commercials and the CALM Act] *{{cite web |url=http://www.linearacoustic.com/index.php/home/about-us.html |title=Linear Acoustic - Helping broadcasters achieve CALM Act compliance by providing loudness control, metering, and monitoring solutions. |publisher=Linear Acoustic}} *{{cite web |url=http://www.minnetonkaaudio.com/info/PDFs/The%20New%20Loudness%20Control%20Dilemma.pdf |title=Minntonka Audio - The New Loudness Dilemma. |publisher=Minnetonka Audio Software, Inc}} *{{cite web |url=https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/r/r128.pdf |title=EBU Recommendation R 128 - Loudness normalisation and permitted maximum level of audio signals. |publisher=EBU}} *{{cite web |url=https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/tech/tech3343.pdf |title=EBU TECH Doc 3343 v.2 - Practical guidelines for Production and Implementation in accordance with EBU R 128. |publisher=EBU}}
{{Federal Communications Commission}}
Category:2010 legislation Category:American television advertisements Category:Broadcast law Category:December 2012 in the United States Category:United States federal communications legislation Category:Noise pollution