AfterDawn: Tech news

Congress passes bill that will limit TV commercial volume

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 Sep 2010 1:56 User comments (50)

Congress passes bill that will limit TV commercial volume The United States Senate has passed a bill this week that will limit the volume of TV commercials, effectively putting the FCC in charge of regulating the new limits.
Dubbed the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM), the bill passed the House last year and will return there for a final vote before President Obama signs it into law.

For decades, avid TV viewers have complained about the lack of volume control on commercials which can sometimes be much louder than the program you were watching.

"Every American has likely experienced the frustration of abrasively loud television commercials," adds Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. "While this may be an effective way for ads to grab attention, it also adds unnecessary stress to the daily lives of many Americans. Last night’s action in the Senate will help end this annoying practice."

Whitehouse introduced the bill in the 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," notes Senator Charles Schumer, a co-sponsors. "TV viewers should be able to watch their favorite programs without fear of losing their hearing when the show goes to a commercial."

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50 user comments

130.9.2010 14:41

.... it doesn't get much more pointless than this, does it?


This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 30 Sep 2010 @ 2:58

230.9.2010 14:45

Either way, about time

330.9.2010 14:50

wow i so misunderstood from the head lines(was thinking as volume quantities)... great for tv watchers maybe that will go towards internet tv watchers as well... I turn mute almost instantly if some adds is louder than i expected, Who lose?

430.9.2010 14:53

Originally posted by DXR88:
.... it doesn't get much more pointless than this, does it?
i Guess not all of us really care about disturbing(loud) adds...
I haven't watch regular tv forever but i do get pissed on internet tv adds loudness

530.9.2010 14:59

Originally posted by i1der:
Originally posted by DXR88:
.... it doesn't get much more pointless than this, does it?
i Guess not all of us really care about disturbing(loud) adds...
I haven't watch regular tv forever but i do get pissed on internet tv adds loudness
but a Bill....there is something else behind this.

630.9.2010 15:40

Ok, so I don't know if its just my room or my at&t uverse, but when I moved in to my apartment the tv shows will be quiet, but then commercials will be BLARING. Sometimes it seems like their 2x louder than the show. So for me, this is amazing. I'm so glad they are passing this.

730.9.2010 16:03

About time!!!

830.9.2010 19:15

Does this his mean I can dumb my hardware that mutes incoming TV commercials? Nice law, but I'll keep my hardware and enjoy the silence!

930.9.2010 22:29

Reall? Is there nothing else more important to make into law than this?

1030.9.2010 22:43

Originally posted by baxter00:
Reall? Is there nothing else more important to make into law than this?
Lots of things but nothing they can agree on.

For me if this includes Internet TV I will be very happy to see this law.

1130.9.2010 22:47

i bet FX is going to be pist over this since their commercials are always 10xs louder than the show itself.

1230.9.2010 23:47

Originally posted by lamain:
Originally posted by baxter00:
Reall? Is there nothing else more important to make into law than this?
Lots of things but nothing they can agree on.
Really...to see them do anything that is not totally backwards is a huge improvement. Now, perhaps they could pass a law saying that it is illegal to knowingly put lies into commercials.

131.10.2010 00:03

my grandpa will be pleased

141.10.2010 02:16

I believe the initial rule was that commercial volume could be as loud as the loudest part of the show. IE a large explosion, screaming, etc. I heard about this a while ago and I believe the new bill will limit volume to the average volume of the show.

151.10.2010 05:37

a bill for commercials? wow

161.10.2010 05:51

Huh... Well, whatever. Worse bills have been passed, I'm sure.

171.10.2010 08:00

A lot of stations do this even during an actual show and or movie or anime depending the channel, theirs times CN(yes I watch it cuz nothing is really on other stations) where even if the commercial is at the same volume on most shows theirs time the show is sooooooooooo low you have to turn it up. Its about time something is being done about this.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 01 Oct 2010 @ 8:00

181.10.2010 10:45

Now they just need to remove commercials completely and make decent content for people to watch. Until then cable providers can shove it.

I DON'T WANT TO PAY THEM TO WATCH COMMERCIALS!

191.10.2010 11:21

Originally posted by KillerBug:
Originally posted by lamain:
Originally posted by baxter00:
Reall? Is there nothing else more important to make into law than this?
Lots of things but nothing they can agree on.
Really...to see them do anything that is not totally backwards is a huge improvement. Now, perhaps they could pass a law saying that it is illegal to knowingly put lies into commercials.
that would be the day . thats the # 1 goal in commercials lie to us any way they can

201.10.2010 13:01

I've never had a problem with loud commercials and there's always a mute button people can use during commercials.

211.10.2010 13:46

Originally posted by core2kid:
I've never had a problem with loud commercials and there's always a mute button people can use during commercials.
That's true enough unless its late or you are off of work and tired and happen to be dozing off. Having a blaring commercial come on when the tv is really watching you can be very annoying and it jolts you awake. Some people like to sleep with the tv on and turned down to have some background noise you know.

221.10.2010 14:27

Originally posted by KillerBug:
Really...to see them do anything that is not totally backwards is a huge improvement. Now, perhaps they could pass a law saying that it is illegal to knowingly put lies into commercials.
A blatant, flat-out lie is called false advertising and is already illegal.

However, most companies get around this by "stretching the truth" were they are, technically, lying but not to the point of "false advertising".

231.10.2010 15:03

EXTENZE!!!! can make your woohooo larger.

242.10.2010 11:19

I say it's about time...I never imagined there would be a law against this, but it is annoying, and something that should be outlawed.

252.10.2010 12:37

Originally posted by DXR88:
Originally posted by i1der:
Originally posted by DXR88:
.... it doesn't get much more pointless than this, does it?
i Guess not all of us really care about disturbing(loud) adds...
I haven't watch regular tv forever but i do get pissed on internet tv adds loudness
but a Bill....there is something else behind this.
I'm surprised that there is only one post stating this. A bill that outlaws this can easily be used to justify NEW bills that outlaw other "annoyances". This bill has nothing to do with loud ads but has everything to do with giving the government more control over media. Government does not go for the throat right away but use these "minor bills" to work it's way to greater, more significant bills that control the media. Be worried about the government passing bills like this.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 02 Oct 2010 @ 12:38

262.10.2010 12:53

Originally posted by Clownzill:
Originally posted by DXR88:

but a Bill....there is something else behind this.
I'm surprised that there is only one post stating this. A bill that outlaws this can easily be used to justify NEW bills that outlaw other "annoyances". This bill has nothing to do with loud ads but has everything to do with giving the government more control over media. Government does not go for the throat right away but use these "minor bills" to work it's way to greater, more significant bills that control the media. Be worried about the government passing bills like this.
I swear some people are never happy..the President could drive to your house right now, give you $1 billion dollars and you'd still complain. Not everything is a conspiracy. There are no addendums in this bill giving the gov't special privileges. They are just stopping loud commercials.

272.10.2010 13:18

Originally posted by DVDBack23:
Originally posted by Clownzill:
Originally posted by DXR88:

but a Bill....there is something else behind this.
I'm surprised that there is only one post stating this. A bill that outlaws this can easily be used to justify NEW bills that outlaw other "annoyances". This bill has nothing to do with loud ads but has everything to do with giving the government more control over media. Government does not go for the throat right away but use these "minor bills" to work it's way to greater, more significant bills that control the media. Be worried about the government passing bills like this.
I swear some people are never happy..the President could drive to your house right now, give you $1 billion dollars and you'd still complain. Not everything is a conspiracy. There are no addendums in this bill giving the gov't special privileges. They are just stopping loud commercials.
It doesn't NEED an addendum. There is no conspiracy theory because this bill in fact allows the government to control volume of over-the-air communications (even if it's just commercials). From here they can justify passing bills to control the volume of your TV from the factory, charge a tax for the amount of volume a person wants, give volume permits to some stations and not others, etc. This is how government control starts, small "innocent" bills with "specific" purposes lead to larger encompassing more serious bills over time. This bill gives the government power that they did NOT have yesterday, even though it's a small amount of power it's STILL more power. I don't like loud commercials either but the government has no place in regulating how loud my TV, radio, PC, etc is in the privacy of my own home. There is not conspiracy in that and in time this volume control can EASILY be turned to "adjust" volume on the consumer end of the spectrum.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 02 Oct 2010 @ 1:23

282.10.2010 15:35

Originally posted by DVDBack23:
Originally posted by Clownzill:
Originally posted by DXR88:

but a Bill....there is something else behind this.
I'm surprised that there is only one post stating this. A bill that outlaws this can easily be used to justify NEW bills that outlaw other "annoyances". This bill has nothing to do with loud ads but has everything to do with giving the government more control over media. Government does not go for the throat right away but use these "minor bills" to work it's way to greater, more significant bills that control the media. Be worried about the government passing bills like this.
I swear some people are never happy..the President could drive to your house right now, give you $1 billion dollars and you'd still complain. Not everything is a conspiracy. There are no addendums in this bill giving the gov't special privileges. They are just stopping loud commercials.
i'd take the billion dollars and never see America again, Canada here i come.

this bill is useless as it stands how will they enforce it, who will they fine. the cable company's or the advertisers. it makes no sense and god knows if the cable company gets fined it isn't coming out of there pocket. its going to becoming out of yours and mine.

292.10.2010 20:27

this is the stupidest law I ever heard of... I'm sure people mute or change the tv station during commercials...

for TV viewers that are complaining, Stop watching regular channels and upgrade to cable or satellite or change the channels during commercials....

302.10.2010 22:11

For the longest time I thought something was wrong with my television set, causing the volume to coincidentally increase when the TV program went into commercial.

I'm kidding.....this is one of the reasons I hate and have stopped watching television. The mains reason for stopping is the socially designed brainwashing that is embedded in all commercials, TV shows, and news that are meant to suit the government/corporate agenda. For example, swaying us into accepting wars, buying crap we don't need, etc.

Once you understand the psychological manipulation and the techniques used, you can pick it out like bird dookie on a black shoe.

312.10.2010 23:28

I guess congress past a law on something that my remote can do.

323.10.2010 11:24

Just another example of the frivolous waste of taxpayer's money Congress really is . . .

Get a real job you jerk-offs

333.10.2010 15:40

"but a Bill....there is something else behind this."

Sure there is. The Government was the one that 'deregulated' the rules related to broadcast volume about 20 years ago.

Yet another example of how the government got involved in something, screwed it up with legislation, then has to go back to pass more legislation to undo their screw up.

November can't get here fast enough.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 03 Oct 2010 @ 3:41

343.10.2010 16:48

Finally, some relief from these annoying commercials, atta boy congress! Well at least they (Congress) are doing something. Now if they only would......................!

353.10.2010 22:51

What about a bill to help unemployed citizens or struggling home owners. Congress is pathetic!

363.10.2010 22:51

Originally posted by catfreak:
Just another example of the frivolous waste of taxpayer's money Congress really is . . .

Get a real job you jerk-offs
amen.

373.10.2010 23:08

Hard to believe people are complaining about Congress passing a bill that will have a positive affect that you can actually notice in your daily life. And it costs $0 billion.

My question is, when does it go into effect?

384.10.2010 00:26

The American government at work.

394.10.2010 04:27

Originally posted by Semperfipal:
Does this his mean I can dumb my hardware that mutes incoming TV commercials? Nice law, but I'll keep my hardware and enjoy the silence!
Do you have a link for that sort of hardware?

Originally posted by klassic:
I believe the initial rule was that commercial volume could be as loud as the loudest part of the show. IE a large explosion, screaming, etc. I heard about this a while ago and I believe the new bill will limit volume to the average volume of the show.
That is correct, as ads are not technically louder than the show but have been compressed so that every quiet sound is also loud. It's called cheating.

Originally posted by kapkirk:
"but a Bill....there is something else behind this."

Sure there is. The Government was the one that 'deregulated' the rules related to broadcast volume about 20 years ago.

Yet another example of how the government got involved in something, screwed it up with legislation, then has to go back to pass more legislation to undo their screw up.
That's all cock-eyed. If it was working before they should not have succumbed to lobby group pressure and deregulated. Same as with the banks, finance sector and Wall Street.

You should not be be concerned that the Gov will pass regulations, only with what those regulations are... and look very carefully at what gets deregulated (because that rarely, if ever, works).

404.10.2010 20:42

I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE CAPS-LOCK LAW TO COME

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 04 Oct 2010 @ 8:43

415.10.2010 01:32
ParadoxEquation
Unverified new user

I want to know what ever happened to the "Smart Sound" feature in televisions. It automatically turned down the volume when commercials came on... and it actually worked.

It was only around for a couple of years (from what I can tell). Then you didn't see it anymore. It was even advertised on television as a ground breaking technology.

4210.10.2010 14:23

It's a damn shame that it takes an act of Congress for advertisers to use a logical and tolerable volume... But thank God something has been done about this common annoyance.

4310.10.2010 14:45

Originally posted by Clownzill:
Originally posted by DXR88:
Originally posted by i1der:
Originally posted by DXR88:
.... it doesn't get much more pointless than this, does it?
i Guess not all of us really care about disturbing(loud) adds...
I haven't watch regular tv forever but i do get pissed on internet tv adds loudness
but a Bill....there is something else behind this.
I'm surprised that there is only one post stating this. A bill that outlaws this can easily be used to justify NEW bills that outlaw other "annoyances". This bill has nothing to do with loud ads but has everything to do with giving the government more control over media. Government does not go for the throat right away but use these "minor bills" to work it's way to greater, more significant bills that control the media. Be worried about the government passing bills like this.
Yeah, that's what it is!.. A conspiracy! Total BS.
If the majority these advertisers would have used consistent and tolerable volume levels this bill would have never been.

4410.10.2010 16:18

Considering how we are murdering poor Afghans, Iraqis and God knows who else . . Congress needs to address real issues instead of contrived BS like this ...

Our politicians are ignorant a-wads . . .

4510.10.2010 19:37

Originally posted by catfreak:
Considering how we are murdering poor Afghans, Iraqis and God knows who else . . Congress needs to address real issues instead of contrived BS like this ...

Our politicians are ignorant a-wads . . .
they deserve every last bit of what there getting. you don't want to fight don't pick up a gun. you want to save your people from the twisted lies and suppression turn the gun to the man that gave it to you.

4610.10.2010 23:19

Originally posted by catfreak:
Considering how we are murdering poor Afghans, Iraqis and God knows who else . . Congress needs to address real issues instead of contrived BS like this ...

Our politicians are ignorant a-wads . . .
You got it all wrong. CIA wants to control the drug trade out of Afghanistan and the oil lobby wants control all the oil in Iraq.

BTW Some 15 years ago Philips introduced technology in their TVs, here in India, that sensed commercials and automatically cut down the volume. May be US needs this more than we do!

4711.10.2010 03:43

Originally posted by DXR88:
Originally posted by catfreak:
Considering how we are murdering poor Afghans, Iraqis and God knows who else . . Congress needs to address real issues instead of contrived BS like this ...

Our politicians are ignorant a-wads . . .
they deserve every last bit of what there getting. you don't want to fight don't pick up a gun. you want to save your people from the twisted lies and suppression turn the gun to the man that gave it to you.
That's rather simplistic DXR.


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This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 11 Oct 2010 @ 3:44

4811.10.2010 12:17

Originally posted by Jemborg:
Originally posted by DXR88:
Originally posted by catfreak:
Considering how we are murdering poor Afghans, Iraqis and God knows who else . . Congress needs to address real issues instead of contrived BS like this ...

Our politicians are ignorant a-wads . . .
they deserve every last bit of what there getting. you don't want to fight don't pick up a gun. you want to save your people from the twisted lies and suppression turn the gun to the man that gave it to you.
That's rather simplistic DXR.


so is smashing 747's into buildings, killing over 2000 people.

i stand by my comment, if the incompetent want to blow themselves up in the name of a god, by all means let them.
if they want the killing of there people to end, they only need too look from within.

they've been murdering and raping there own people long before we got there.




4911.10.2010 17:31

Originally posted by DXR88:
Originally posted by Jemborg:
Originally posted by DXR88:
Originally posted by catfreak:
Considering how we are murdering poor Afghans, Iraqis and God knows who else . . Congress needs to address real issues instead of contrived BS like this ...

Our politicians are ignorant a-wads . . .
they deserve every last bit of what there getting. you don't want to fight don't pick up a gun. you want to save your people from the twisted lies and suppression turn the gun to the man that gave it to you.
That's rather simplistic DXR.


so is smashing 747's into buildings, killing over 2000 people.

i stand by my comment, if the incompetent want to blow themselves up in the name of a god, by all means let them.
if they want the killing of there people to end, they only need too look from within.

they've been murdering and raping there own people long before we got there.
I understand mate but the war in Iraq is all about the oil. All those civilian women and children that died there as a consequence of it did not deserve it, far far more than 2000.... and the use of "depleted" uranium in weapons should be banned like mustard gas. It is despicable.

US and British usurping of the democratic government of Iran and installing the Shar of did not do anything to help the situation in the Middle East. Neither did supporting Saddam as the US did in the Early days. It does not all of it "come from within". And it goes far deeper than that.

Yes, I agree many are f**ked up (and I am an atheist myself) but no country is perfect or deserves blanket condemnation. You can stand by your comments all you like... they are still cruel and surprisingly naive.

5010.4.2013 21:33
unlistedonline
Unverified new user

Originally posted by Morreale:
The American government at work.
edited by ddp the government, it shows how edited by ddp up it is when they cant or will not pass a budget, the President goes of edited by ddp around while he should be getting the budget fixed. Where is the "change" he spoke of. I hope N. Korea nuckes the White House and soon!!!!!!!!!!!
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 10 Apr 2013 @ 10:13

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