Senate moves to limit commercials' volume

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate passed a bill aimed at limiting the volume of television commercials with regulations to be enforced by the Federal Communications Commission.

The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, which was passed by the House of Representatives in December and must pass a final House vote before going to President Barack Obama for signing into law, is aimed at ending TV commercials that are several times louder than the programs they support, The Hill reported Thursday.

"Every American has likely experienced the frustration of abrasively loud television commercials," said Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., who brought the bill to 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."

"It's about time we turned down the volume on loud commercials that try to startle TV watchers into paying attention. This is a simple step that will keep ads at the same decibel level as the programs they are interrupting," said co-sponsor Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. "TV viewers should be able to watch their favorite programs without fear of losing their hearing when the show goes to a commercial."

The bill would require the FCC to draw up regulations within a year in accordance with international standards.