Super-loud TV commercials one step closer to extinction

THOSE OBNOXIOUS TV COMMERCIALS THAT ARE DECIBELS LOUDER THAN EVERYTHING ELSE ARE ONE STEP CLOSER TO BEING ERADICATED IN THE US.

The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM—get it?) Act has now passed the Senate. Having already been approved by the House of Representatives, the bill now bounces back to the House for one more vote before heading to the president's desk for his signature.

The bill itself is pretty to the point. The CALM Act asks the FCC to come up with regulations so that ads can't be excessively noisy or strident, can't be presented at substantially higher than the program material they are accompanying, and the average maximum loudness cannot be substantially higher than the average maximum loudness of the program they're accompanying.

The FCC already has an informational page on "Program Background Noise and Loud Commercials," which mostly tries to channel viewer wrath towards the TV networks rather than the FCC, but that will likely change soon. The bill was first introduced by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) in 2009 and has slowly made its way through the House and Senate.

"It's about time we turned down the volume on loud commercials that try to startle TV watchers into paying attention. This is a simple step that will keep ads at the same decibel level as the programs they are interrupting," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), sponsor of the Senate version of the bill. "TV viewers should be able to watch their favorite programs without fear of losing their hearing when the show goes to a commercial."