Washington — The House on Tuesday voted to level off the abrupt spikes in volume felt by television viewers during commercial breaks.
The bill — approved by a voice vote — is aimed at stopping TV ads from playing noticeably louder than programs.
“It’s very frustrating,” said Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va. “It’s an annoying experience, and something really should be done about it.”
Irritated by loud commercials, Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., drafted the measure after discovering it was a common complaint with the Federal Communications Commission.
The House bill is H.R.1084. The Senate bill is S.2847.
Comments
imastinker 7 years, 7 months ago
Really??
Ricky_Vaughn 7 years, 7 months ago
Finally! I hate loud commercials! It makes me feel like the TV is yelling at me...
Ricky_Vaughn 7 years, 7 months ago
Thanks for giving that dead horse one more kick, Informed. Feel better now?
gccs14r 7 years, 7 months ago
Anyone notice that McD's ads have already gone quiet?
Joe Hyde 7 years, 7 months ago
Excellent news! I can't wait until it goes into effect as public law. Things have been so bad with the super-loud advertisements that most of the time when I watch TV I'm sitting there with my trigger finger resting on the Mute button.
What I would love to see happen next is an FCC ban that prohibits television channels from synchronizing their advertising periods. Currently, this disgusting practice even involves "official time-outs" or "time outs on the floor" where play is interrupted during a live sporting event simply so the network carrying the game can synchronize its advertisements with all the other ads being run on all the other channels at the same time.
I swear, sometimes I think what the abbreviation NCAA really stands for is: National Commercial Advertising Association
LoveThsLife 7 years, 7 months ago
There is always the "mute" button.
classclown 7 years, 7 months ago
How about getting the different stations broadcasting at the same level while we're at it?
gphawk89 7 years, 7 months ago
Here's another idea: don't watch TV. I don't. Amazing how much more time you'll have for other activities.
spiff 7 years, 7 months ago
It's possible to not watch televsion? Deep.
GardenMomma 7 years, 7 months ago
Since many people leave the room during commercials, I'm willing to bet that the increased volume is to be sure the audience at least HEARS the ad even if they aren't actually watching it.
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