The FCC has been instructed by overwhelming Congressional mandate to put rules in place that limit the audio volume of commercials to the levels of the programming they are embedded in. It has to have something in place by December, and it is taking comment on the matter soon.
The regulations are to be written 12/15/11, and would go into effect a year from that date. The FCC will look at the ins and outs of the matter and it’s inviting interested parties to offer advice and commentary. Comments and reply comments will be accepted as soon as the good folks down at the Federal Register publish the FCC’s boilerplate on the topic.
Commissioner Michael Copps weighed in on the topic. He said, “Thank goodness that relief is on the way for viewers who have been complaining for nearly 50 years about loud commercials. I am glad that Congress has given us a mandate in this endeavor and I particularly thank Ranking Member Anna Eshoo for her efforts to take action on what has been the bane of consumers’ existence for far too long. Loud commercials have drawn thousands of complaints at the FCC in just the last few years and I appreciate the work of the Media Bureau to expeditiously move this NPRM forward to fulfill Congress’ will.”
He concluded, “While this is an issue with a number of technical challenges, first and foremost we must treat it as a consumer issue. There will be questions to resolve in the months ahead and I look forward to acting on a full record with input from all the stakeholders by the statute’s December 15th 2011 deadline. What should be clear is that the American public wants some CALM in their living room and our implementation of this legislation should deliver on that long overdue entreaty.”
