All Is CALM Among DC Legislators

Image via Wikipedia
The Senate this week unanimously passed a measure that would require tv stations and cable counterparts to air commercials at the same volume rate as programming.


Last year, the House passed H.B.6209, the so-called CALM (Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act) measure [See "TUOL" post 6/12/09]. Now, the House and Senate versions must be reconciled when lawmakers convene post-election in November before the bill can become law.  Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) sponsored the Senate bill and Rep. Anna Eschoo (D.-Calif.) was the prime mover of the House bill.


The FCC, which  has not been regulating sound levels of advertisements, would be required to adopt the legislators' recommendations as regulations within a year and begin enforcing them a year after that.  Nice to see bi-partisan support to tackle a problem that jarred couch potato solons awake from their late-night tv viewing. Maybe they can see about the deficit, tax breaks, and alternative energy sources now that they've found common ground.