Congress turns down the volume on TV commercials

The Senate passed a bill Sept 29 that would create limits on the volume of television commercials and put the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in charge of regulating them. The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM) is an attempt to put an end to TV commercials that are many times louder than regular programming, a problem that has annoyed viewers for decades.

The bill passed the House in December and will have to go back there for one last vote before President Obama is expected to sign it into law. "Every American has likely experienced the frustration of abrasively loud television commercials," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who introduced the bill in the Senate. "While this may be an effective way for ads to grab attention, it also adds unnecessary stress to the daily lives of many Americans. Last night's action in the Senate will help end this annoying practice." The bill's original author, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), said that she intended for the legislation to give control of sound back to consumers. The bill would limit commercials to the same level of volume as the shows they interrupt.