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Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act

The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (H.R. 1084/S. 2847) (CALM Act) requires the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to bar the audio of TV commercials from being broadcast louder than the TV program material they accompany by requiring all "multichannel video programming" distributors to implement the "Techniques for Establishing and Maintaining Audio Loudness for Digital Television" issued by the international industry group Advanced Television Systems Committee.[1][2] The final bill was passed on September 29, 2010.[3]

"CALM Act" redirects here. For the Western Australian Legislation, see Conservation and Land Management Act 1984.

No specific penalties are given; those are to be set by the FCC in its regulations. A TV broadcaster or distributor is "in compliance" if it installs and uses suitable equipment and software.[2] Unlike some FCC regulations, cable system operators are subject to the rule in addition to broadcast stations.[2]


After issuing regulations, the FCC began enforcing those regulations on December 13, 2012,[4][5][6] after a one-year grace period.[7]

. From the U.S. Government Printing Office.

"111th Congress Public Law 311"

FCC's Loud Commercials Page

(PDF). Qualis Audio. Retrieved March 10, 2011.

"Loudness Measurements and the CALM Act"

ATSC Recommended Practice A/85 – Techniques for Establishing and Maintaining Audio Loudness for Digital Television

. Orban. Archived from the original on February 27, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2011.

"Optimod 8685 - allowing stations to comply effortlessly with the requirements of the CALM act"

FCC Encyclopedia: Loud Commercials and the CALM Act

. Linear Acoustic.

"Linear Acoustic - Helping broadcasters achieve CALM Act compliance by providing loudness control, metering, and monitoring solutions"

(PDF). Minnetonka Audio Software, Inc.

"Minntonka Audio - The New Loudness Dilemma"

(PDF). EBU.

"EBU Recommendation R 128 - Loudness normalisation and permitted maximum level of audio signals"

(PDF). EBU.

"EBU TECH Doc 3343 v.2 - Practical guidelines for Production and Implementation in accordance with EBU R 128"