Connecticut SB 232: AN ACT CONCERNING STREAMING VIDEO SERVICES AND THE VOLUME OF COMMERCIAL ADVERTISEMENTS.

Bill Text

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General Assembly  
Substitute Bill No. 232  
February Session, 2026 
 
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING STREAMING VIDEO SERVICES AND THE 
VOLUME OF COMMERCIAL ADVERTISEMENTS.  
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of Representatives  in  General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section: 1 
(1) "Cable operator" has the same meaning as provided in 47 USC 522, 2 
as amended from time to time; 3 
(2) "Commercial advertisement" has the same meaning as such term 4 
is used in the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, P.L. 5 
111-311, as amended from time to time; 6 
(3)    "Commissioner"    means    the    Commissioner    of    Consumer 7 
Protection; 8 
(4) "Consumer" means any person who  is  physically present in this 9 
state and is a recipient, or a prospective recipient, of a streaming video 10 
service; 11 
(5) "Department" means the Department of Consumer Protection; 12 
(6)  "Multichannel  video  programming  distributor"  has  the  same 13 
meaning as provided in 47 USC 522, as amended from time to time; 14 
(7) "Person"  means any individual, association, corporation, limited 15 
liability company, partnership, trust or other legal entity; 16 

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(8) "Streaming video service" means any service through which any 17 
video content, including, but not limited to, any video programming, is 18 
made  available  directly  to  consumers  through  a  distribution  method 19 
that uses the Internet protocol; 20 
(9) "Streaming video service provider" or "provider" (A) means any 21 
person  who  makes  a  streaming  video  service  available  directly  to 22 
consumers, and (B) does not include (i) any television broadcast station, 23 
(ii) any multichannel video programming distributor, including, but not 24 
limited to, any cable operator, or (iii) any person who makes available 25 
any    video    content,    including,    but    not    limited    to,    any    video 26 
programming, without commercial advertisements; 27 
(10) "Television broadcast station" has the same meaning as provided 28 
in 47 USC 325, as amended from time to time; and 29 
(11) "Video programming" has the same meaning as provided in 47 30 
USC 613, as amended from time to time. 31 
(b) On and after July 1, 2027, and except as provided in subsection (c) 32 
of  this  section,  no  streaming  video  service  provider  shall  transmit  the 33 
audio  of  any  commercial  advertisement  by  way  of  a  streaming  video 34 
service  at  a  volume  that  is  louder  than  the  volume  established  in  the 35 
regulations  adopted  by  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  for 36 
television   broadcast   stations   or   multichannel   video   programming 37 
distributors, including, but not limited to, cable operators, pursuant to 38 
the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, P.L. 111-311, 39 
as said act and such regulations may be amended from time to time. 40 
(c) (1) If a streaming video service provider believes that compliance 41 
with  the  provisions  of  subsection  (b)  of  this  section  would  pose  a 42 
significant financial hardship to the provider, the provider may submit 43 
a  waiver  application  to  the  Department  of  Consumer  Protection  in  a 44 
form   and   manner   prescribed   by   the   Commissioner   of   Consumer 45 
Protection. The waiver application shall include: 46 
(A) The name and business address of the provider; 47 

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(B)  A  description  of  the  nature  and  extent of  the  alleged  significant 48 
financial hardship and any supporting information or documents; and 49 
(C)  Any  other  information  or  documents  the  commissioner  may 50 
reasonably require for the purposes of this subdivision. 51 
(2)  Not  later  than  thirty  days  after  the  department  receives  a 52 
completed  waiver  application  submitted  under  subdivision  (1)  of  this 53 
subsection, the commissioner shall (A) review such application, (B) on 54 
the basis of such review and in the commissioner's sole discretion, issue 55 
a  decision  approving or  disapproving  such  application  and  issuing  or 56 
not issuing a waiver, and (C) send notice to the streaming video service 57 
provider,  in  a  form  and  manner  prescribed  by  the  commissioner, 58 
disclosing the commissioner's decision and the basis for such decision. 59 
(3) Each waiver issued pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection 60 
(A)  shall  be  valid  for  a  period  of  one  year  beginning  on  the  date  on 61 
which  the  commissioner  sends  notice  to  the  streaming  video  service 62 
provider   disclosing   the   commissioner's   decision   to   approve   such 63 
provider's application and issue such waiver, and (B) may be renewed 64 
for  an  additional  one-year  period  (i)  upon  submission  of  a  waiver 65 
renewal  application  made  during  th