All Is CALM Among DC Legislators

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The Senate this week unanimously passed a measure that would require tv stations and cable counterparts to air commercials at the same volume rate as programming.


Last year, the House passed H.B.6209, the so-called CALM (Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act) measure [See "TUOL" post 6/12/09]. Now, the House and Senate versions must be reconciled when lawmakers convene post-election in November before the bill can become law.  Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) sponsored the Senate bill and Rep. Anna Eschoo (D.-Calif.) was the prime mover of the House bill.


The FCC, which  has not been regulating sound levels of advertisements, would be required to adopt the legislators' recommendations as regulations within a year and begin enforcing them a year after that.  Nice to see bi-partisan support to tackle a problem that jarred couch potato solons awake from their late-night tv viewing. Maybe they can see about the deficit, tax breaks, and alternative energy sources now that they've found common ground.

'And Now, a Scream from Our Sponsor...

Congress today is taking up H.R. 6209, the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM). Introduced last June by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D.-Calif.) and co-sponsored by 62 of her colleagues, the bill charges the FCC to "prescribe a standard to preclude commercials from being broadcast at louder volumes than the program material they accompany."

Eshoo, a 17-year veteran of Congress and member of the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, complained: "Every time the ads came on, they blew me out of my seat." The big 4 television networks question the need for such a measure, and contend that FCC involvement would impede voluntary efforts by the networks to implement policies to control strident commercials.

A noble cause, but maybe health care reform, the economy, and a couple of other matters might warrant more immediate Congressional attention. Besides, if it weren't for the jarring loud commercials for "Icy Hot," I would remain asleep on the couch while the same cable movies play nightly into the wee hours.