Now What's Going to Wake Me Up After I Fall Asleep Watching TV?

Under the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, the FCC issued rules that require commercials have the same average volume as the programs they accompany. The CALM Act rules went into effect on December 13, 2012. From the FCC's Loud Commercials FAQ:

Q: Will the new rules eliminate the problem of loud commercials?

A: The rules should eliminate any systematic difference between the loudness of commercials and the loudness of the programming they accompany. The ATSC practice that Congress directed us to adopt does not set an absolute cap on loudness. Rather, it requires commercials to have the same average volume as the programming they accompany, so that the volume a consumer chooses is the one at which both the programming and the advertisements will air. We hope and expect that compliance with this practice will significantly reduce the problem of loud commercials for consumers.

[JH]