We’ve all been in front of our television enjoying a new episode of The Voice, Breaking Bad, or Glee, when suddenly they throw it to commercial and it’s MUCH LOUDER than the television program you were just watching.

Today, that little trick is illegal.

Networks and their advertisers would purposely make commercials louder in order to grab your attention in case you lost focus during your show. To them it’s a helpful way to make sure you hear what they have to sell; To us, it’s annoying and requires reaching for the remote.

The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act took effect today and requires “commercials to have the same average volume as the programs they accompany.” This means no sudden up-tick in audio, and comfort for our ears. CALM, as it’s referred to for short, actually took effect on this day one year ago. The FCC had given the networks and advertisers one year (today) to ensure that they were in compliance.

If you’re watching television and notice a commercial louder than the television program you were watching, you can file a complaint to the FCC and they’ll look into it. Further instructions on how to file a complaint are available at this link.

We’re glad the government passed this legislation, which was originally introduced by United States Senator Roger Wicker in 2008.