There is a clear downward trend in the number of consumer gripes about loud television commercials since the CALM Act went into effect, but enough of them are still flowing in to trigger a congressional request for a quarterly report from the FCC on the topic.
Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) (pictured) and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), the two legislators most responsible for seeing the legislation through Congress, are the ones making the request.
According to the FCC, consumer complaints were just 200 and change shy of 5,000 in December 2012 when the law went into effect, and have steadily diminished since then, to less than 100 more than 1,000 by the end of May.
“While the initial data from the FCC does not conclusively indicate the effectiveness of the CALM Act yet, it does demonstrate that consumers remain highly committed to keeping the volume of TV commercials at a reasonable level,” Eshoo said. “I’ve called on the FCC to issue quarterly progress reports on the CALM Act so we know exactly how the law is working for consumers.”
“The CALM Act is already cracking down on needlessly loud TV commercials, and quarterly progress reports would provide interested viewers with timely updates on compliance with the law,” said Whitehouse.
Here are the FCC’s stats on CALM-related complaints:
| Month | Complaints |
| December 2012 | 4,777 |
| January 2013 | 4,405 |
| February 2013 | 2,407 |
| March 2013 | 1,526 |
| April 2013 | 1,513 |
| May 2013 | 1,065 |
| June 1-5, 2013 | 157 |
| Source: FCC |
