We've all experienced it. You have the TV turned up high because of quiet dialog and then the show cuts to commercial. The ad is then so loud that you are literally blown backwards. OK, so I might be exaggerating a bit, but this should be a problem of the past, something our kids will never have to experience.

The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, also known as the Calm Act, has gone into effect today. This act makes it illegal for commercials to be louder than the programming that they are so rudely interrupting. I'm not sure who thought making commercials louder was a good idea, but we no longer have to worry about that.

The law was actually passed more than a year ago, but the FCC was nice and gave a long grace period so that current advertisements wouldn't have to be redone to comply. From now on, if you hear an extremely loud commercial, the FCC would like you to report it on their website or by calling 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-225-5322).