By unanimous consent, the Senate has passed the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act of 2009 (S. 2847), instructing the FCC to limit the volume of television commercials. Broadcasters will have to keep ad volume down to the level of the programs they are embedded in.
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sponsored the Senate bill, and Representative Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) introduced a similar bill in the House. The House bill (H.R. 1084) passed on a voice vote. We hope CSPAN kept the volume down.
More:
“U.S. Acts to Quiet Blaring TV Ads. Welcome to the 1960s,” John C Abell, Wired.
Update:
“Senate Outlaws Loud Commercials, But There’s More to be Done,” Bob Sassone, TVsquad.com
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Tags: advertising, broadcasting, CALM Act, commercials, Congress, television, TV
NotionsCapital 
December 4, 2010 at 11:45 am
UPDATE:
“Ear relief: Congress acts to stifle loud TV ads,” AP via St. Louis Post-Dispatch</em>.