Tektronix Helps Wave Broadband Lower the Volume of Loud Commercials to Comply with CALM Act

BEAVERTON, Ore., Jan. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Tektronix (www.tektronix.com), the market leader in broadcast video test, monitoring and analysis solutions, today announced that it is helping Wave Broadband, a cable operator serving more than 400,000 subscribers across the West Coast, to comply with the Commercial Advertising Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act.  Wave Broadband has so far deployed Tektronix's award-winning Sentry Assure in three of its cable networks, where they continuously monitor the loudness of all the ads in all of the channels being delivered to subscribers.

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"We take customer satisfaction and the customer experience very seriously, which is why we turned to Tektronix to help us comply with the CALM Act and ensure that customers do not experience commercials that are overly loud and bothersome," said Tim Klinefelter, Wave Broadband's EVP of Broadband Services.  "Sentry Assure not only enables us to identify these ads so their volume can be lowered, but it also has all the database and reporting capabilities we need to fully comply with the CALM Act's requirements."

The CALM Act, which is enforced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), requires cable operators and other video service providers (VSP) to ensure that ads be no louder than the programs they accompany.  The FCC began enforcing the act on December 13, 2012, requiring large VSPs to come into compliance within one year, but granting smaller VSPs up to two years to fully comply.  Rather than monitor VSPs themselves, the FCC relies on the public to report loud commercials to them via its website, fax or mail. To comply with the act, VSPs must be able to monitor the volume of ads, document when loud ads occur and show that they have resolved whatever caused the ads to be too loud.

"With the CALM Act now being enforced, ear-splitting ads have gone from being nuisance to a potentially serious business issue because all it takes is one disgruntled subscriber alerting the FCC to every loud ad to create a lot of trouble.  Smart operators like Wave Broadband are not sitting on the sidelines, but actively deploying solutions to come into compliance," said Eben Jenkins, general manager of the Video Product Line at Tektronix.  "Long before the CALM Act was signed into law we were working with some of the nation's largest cable operators in preparation, enabling us to develop the industry's most comprehensive line of solutions for complying with the act, including our Sentry Assure."

About Sentry Assure
Sentry Assure is a member of Tektronix's award-winning line of Sentry digital content monitors which has been optimized to help VSPs comply with the CALM Act.  Sentry Assure is ideal for identifying loud commercials in the complex multichannel environment and combines the ability to simultaneously monitor hundreds of channels in real time with loudness detection capabilities and post-splice ad insertion monitoring. In addition, Sentry Assure's ad insertion monitoring includes a historical thumbnail review of each splice point to provide visual validation of ads that ran. To better support CALM Act and CRTC regulations, the ad insertion reports also present a synchronized display of the audio loudness graph and the ad cue/splice display, providing quick insight into the changes of audio loudness during transitions into and out of commercial segments.

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About Wave Broadband
Wave Broadband is a cable and broadband services company providing advanced cable TV, true high-speed Internet and phone services to more than 415,000 residential and business customers in the communities, and surrounding suburbs, of the Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Sacramento markets.  Wave is headquartered in Kirkland, Washington.  Owned and operated by local industry leaders, Wave supports its customers with decades of cable know-how.  The company's mission is to provide all customers with the latest technologies and upgrades. Wave was recently recognized by CableFAX Magazine with the prestigious Independent Cable Operator of the Year award. Wave also appears on PC Magazine's list of Top 10 Fastest ISPs in the nation.  The company's Business Solutions division delivers redundant fiber rings that serve local governments and businesses of all sizes, including well-known Fortune 100 companies and brands, with major fiber hubs in West Coast markets.  For more information about Wave Broadband, visit www.wavebroadband.com.

About Tektronix
For more than sixty five years, engineers have turned to Tektronix for test, measurement and monitoring solutions to solve design challenges, improve productivity and dramatically reduce time to market. Tektronix is a leading supplier of test equipment for engineers focused on electronic design, manufacturing, and advanced technology development. Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix serves customers worldwide and offers award-winning service and support. Stay on the leading edge at www.tektronix.com.

Tektronix is a registered trademark of Tektronix, Inc. All other trade names referenced are the service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

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