Advertisers may
soon have the volume turned down. The Senate has passed legislation mandating that the FCC regulate the volume on TV ads, ensuring the sound on commercials does not overly exceed the decibel level
during the program.
The bill has already passed the House and once the two bodies patch up some minor differences -- likely after Nov. 2 -- it will head to the president to become law.
Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse introduced the legislation in the Senate.
Democrats Jay Rockefeller and Chuck Schumer were among the co-sponsors of the "Commercial Advertisement
Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act" in the body.
"Every American has likely experienced the frustration of abrasively loud television commercials," Whitehouse stated. "While this may be an
effective way for ads to grab attention, it also adds unnecessary stress to the daily lives of many Americans."
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Rockefeller added: "This common sense bill will make sure advertisers can't
just blast advertisements at consumers at unbearable volume levels."
The FCC has gotten complaints about the decibel level on ads since the 1960s. It has publicly listed the matter as one of
the top consumer complaints it has received multiple times since 2002. But it has had no regulatory power.
The House passed CALM legislation in December, where California Democrat Anna Eshoo
was the lead sponsor. She said it "give(s) the control of sound back to the consumer, where it belongs."
While advertisers may be unhappy, the onus will fall on networks, stations and cable
companies to comply with FCC orders.