# The CALM Modernization Act of 2022: What It Means for You

If you've ever been jolted by a suddenly loud commercial while watching Netflix, Hulu, or another streaming service, this bill is designed to fix that problem. The CALM Act (Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act) has been around since 2010 and successfully required cable companies, broadcast stations, and satellite TV providers to keep commercials at the same volume level as the shows you're watching. This new bill extends those same rules to streaming video services—basically bringing them into compliance with what traditional TV has been doing for over a decade.

Right now, streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and others aren't required to follow the same loudness rules as cable and broadcast TV. This means you might experience jarring volume spikes when ads play on ad-supported streaming tiers. The bill tells the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create new regulations within one year that would prohibit streaming services from broadcasting commercials louder than the content around them. Once the FCC creates these rules, streaming companies would have six months to comply, though they could ask for an extra year if they can prove it would cause them serious financial hardship.

The bill also makes some technical updates to how the FCC enforces the original CALM Act. It clarifies that companies following the proper equipment and procedures are presumed to be in compliance, but the FCC can still investigate if they receive lots of complaints or see patterns of violations. Additionally, the bill directs a government watchdog agency to study whether the current CALM Act rules are actually working and suggest improvements if needed.

For everyday viewers, this means the annoying experience of suddenly loud commercials should eventually become a thing of the past across all your streaming platforms, just like it already is on traditional television.

CALM Modernization Act of 2022

Eshoo, Anna G.

Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Modernization Act of 2022 or the CALM Modernization Act of 2022 This bill applies certain requirements concerning the volume of commercials to video streaming services that are supported by advertisements (e.g., Hulu). It also modifies enforcement related to those requirements. Current law requires commercials transmitted via broadcast, cable, and satellite television to have the same average volume as the underlying programming. Under this bill, the Federal Communications Commission must apply through rulemaking similar requirements to ad-supported video streaming services. The bill also modifies enforcement of requirements for moderating the volume of commercials. The commission currently uses a complaint-driven enforcement process. Under this bill, the commission must treat violations of the requirements as violations of the Communications Act of 1934. Additionally, the bill makes rebuttable a presumption that deems a broadcast television station, cable operator, or other multichannel video programming distributor in compliance with the requirements if it appropriately installs and uses certain equipment and software to moderate the volume of commercials. The Government Accountability Office must report on the effectiveness of the requirements, and the commission's enforcement of them, in moderating the volume of commercials.