FCC to Take Up CALM Rules Next Tuesday

Rules will govern TV loudness

Author:: TVTechnology
Publish date:: Dec 8, 2011
Social count:: 1

WASHINGTON: As expected, the Federal Communications Commission will take up rules for the CALM Act at its last open meeting of the year. The commission is under a legislative directive to issue its rules for implementing the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act by the end of the year. The law directs the FCC to create rules that “prevent digital television commercial advertisements from being transmitted at louder volumes than the program material they accompany.”

The commission will consider a Report and Order on CALM and one other item, a third report to Congress on the status of competition in domestic and international satellite communications, at its regular monthly meeting, now scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 10:45 a.m. Eastern Time.

Regulatory and Standards

The commission is under a legislative directive to issue its rules for implementing it by the end of the year.

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The Commission will release its new rules governing loudness for broadcast and pay television by the end of the December.

The FCC will consider a Report and Order on implementation of the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act at its Dec. 13 open meeting.

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The new rules are based on the Advanced Television Systems Committee's (ATSC) A/85 Recommended Practice ("ATSC A/85 RP").

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Regulatory and Standards

The order requires all TV stations and cable systems to comply, with different parameters for smaller operators and local versus national ads.

The new rules require commercials to have the same average volume as the programs they accompany.

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Stations around the country have been busy the last few months making preparations to meet a new requirement that alters how broadcasters measure and deliver audio to TV viewers.

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Regulatory and Standards

For those stations that already sought to comply with the original ATSC A/85 RP, this Successor RP may necessitate some software or device upgrades. This should be a minor adjustment as the industry has been trying to adhere to the CALM Act.