Congress Could Mute Loud Commercials

The AP via Yahoo:

Television viewers jarred by abrupt spikes in volume during commercial breaks may someday be able to give their mute buttons a rest.

“I not only dive for the mute button, but I end up having to close my windows so that the blast doesn’t affect by neighbors,” says Congresswoman Anna Eshoo. “I live on a cul-de-sac, and so the sound resonates.”

Irritated with loud commercials, the California Democrat found it was also a common complaint with the Federal Communications Commission. So she drafted a bill aimed at preventing TV ads from playing noticeably louder than the programs they sponsor.

[...] Robert Thompson, a professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University, says Congress should have higher priorities than strident commercials.

“The idea that this is a problem that is so big that it requires legislative action is incredibly absurd,” he said. “I don’t think anyone’s ears have ever been damaged by this.”

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