Reports of ‘loud commercials’ on NC airwaves have spiked. Here’s what you can do about it

If you’re a North Carolina resident who has scrambled to turn down your TV when a commercial pummels your eardrums, you’re not alone.

Data from the Federal Communications Commission show the number of reports of loud commercials on airwaves has spiked in recent years.

Since 2014, North Carolina residents have filed 727 complaints about loud commercials, with 535 of them filed within the last two years, according to data from the FCC’s Consumer Complaint Database.

Although the number of complaints has increased, a federal bill that went into effect more than a decade ago prevents TV stations from airing excessively loud commercials.

Here are the rules for TV commercials and how you can report an advertisement if it is too loud.

What are the rules for TV commercials?

According to the FCC, commercials are required to have the same average volume as the programs they accompany.

FCC regulations for loud TV commercials are based on the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act passed by Congress in 2011, which requires TV stations to put a cap on how loud the advertisements they broadcast are.

The CALM Act does not pertain to volume differences between programs or channels on a given station. It also does not apply to radio commercials or ads broadcast on the internet, according to the FCC.

Although many have complained about loud commercials on streaming services like Hulu and YouTube TV, they are not under the regulation of the FCC, Business Insider reported.

What can you do about loud commercials?

You can report commercials that appear loud to the FCC at any time by filing a complaint on the commission’s online complaint form.

In order to evaluate your complaint, the FCC will need:

• The state you live in

• The name of the advertiser or product promoted in the commercial

• The date you saw the commercial

• The time you saw the commercial

• The name of the TV program during which you saw the commercial

• The name of the TV station where the commercial aired

• The channel number you saw the commercial on

Once the FCC receives information about your complaint, they will track them to determine if there are trends that suggest the need for fines.

Evan Moore

The Charlotte Observer

Evan Moore is a service journalism reporter for the Charlotte Observer. He grew up in Denver, North Carolina, where he previously worked as a reporter for the Denver Citizen, and is a UNC Charlotte graduate.