Congress Ends the Scourge of Excessive Television Commerical Volume

by Duane Lester: They can’t pass a budget.
They can’t extend the Bush Tax Cuts.

They can’t investigate Charlie Rangel or Maxine Waters.

But they can drop a hammer on what really matters:  television commercials!

The Senate unanimously passed a bill late Wednesday to require television stations and cable companies to keep commercials at the same volume as the programs they interrupt.

The House has passed similar legislation. Before it can become law, minor differences between the two versions have to be worked out when Congress returns to Washington after the Nov. 2 election.

Ever since television caught on in the 1950s, the Federal Communication Commission has been getting complaints about blaring commercials. But the FCC concluded in 1984 there was no fair way to write regulations controlling the “apparent loudness” of commercials. So it hasn’t been regulating them.

This reminds me of the federal instructions to change all the street signs in New York City. It’s not like there’s anything more pressing in the country than television commercials.

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