ORLANDO, Fla. – Your ears can thank the FCC.
New rules, which limit the volume of TV commercials, go into effect today. Called the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, the new rules require TV stations, cable operators, satellite TV operators and other pay TV providers to limit a commercial's average volume to that of the programming that it accompanies.
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The limits are meant to protect viewers from excessively loud commercials. Blaring commercials have become commonplace and have prompted many complaints to the FCC.
The Federal Communications Commission adopted the CALM restrictions a year ago, but gave the industry a one-year grace period to adopt them.
The Commission says it will rely on consumer complaints to monitor industry compliance with the new rules. You can file a complaint with the FCC and report commercials that seem louder than the programming that they accompany.