NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: December 13, 2012 Janice Wise (202) 418-8165 Email: janice.wise@fcc.gov CALM ACT RULES TAKE EFFECT TODAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012 Washington, D.C. – The Federal Communications Commission’s rules on loud television commercials take effect today. The rules implement the 2010 Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (the CALM Act) in which Congress gave the Commission authority to address the problem of excessive commercial loudness. The rules were adopted on December 13, 2011 and, as directed by the Act, take effect one year after adoption, or December 13, 2012. Specifically, the FCC’s new rules require TV stations, cable operators, satellite TV providers, and other pay TV providers to limit a commercial’s average volume to the same average volume as the programming it accompanies. A commercial may have louder and quieter moments, but overall it should be no louder than surrounding programming. Consumers can report commercials that seem louder than the programming they accompany to the FCC. The Commission has developed a special Loud Commercial online complaint form (Form 2000G) for this purpose. It can be found at http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm. Consumers can also file their complaint with the FCC’s Consumer Call Center at 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) (voice) or 1- 888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) (TTY). Information derived from complaints will assist the Commission in enforcing its rules. For further information, contact Evan Baranoff (202-418-2120; evan.baranoff@fcc.gov). Press contact: Janice Wise (202-418-8165; janice.wise@fcc.gov). -FCC- For news and information about the FCC, please visit: www.fcc.gov