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U.S. Senate Passes Bill to Normalize TV Commercial Audio Levels
The U.S. Congress and Senate have prioritized the need to establish that television stations and cable companies maintain a consistent volume level from the programs they interrupt.
The Senate unanimously passed the Commercial Advertisement Loudness
Mitigation Act yesterday, which would direct regulators to set limits on
the volume of TV ads, before members left Washington to campaign for
the Nov. 2 election.
The
legislation, sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., requires the
FCC to adopt those recommendations as regulations within a year and
begin enforcing them a year later. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., is the
driving force behind the bill in the House.
Its title is the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, or CALM.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., a co-sponsor, said it's time to stop
the use of loud commercials to startle viewers into paying attention.
"TV viewers should be able to watch their favorite programs without fear
of losing their hearing when the show goes to a commercial," he said.
