Those Dreadful Geico Commercials Are About to Get Quieter

Who says there’s no bipartisanship? To the delight of curmudgeons everywhere, the House signed off on a bill that would keep the volume of commercials at or below the level of regular programming. Unless he has completely lost his mind, the president will sign it into law and we can all enjoy pitchmen shouting with their indoor voices.  —PZS

McClatchy and AP via Seattle Times:

“The problems with earsplitting TV advertisements have existed for more than 50 years. Not five, 50,” said Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., who noted that her office has received many messages of support and that people approach her in restaurants and supermarkets to ask about the legislation. “Television advertisers first realized that consumers often left the room during commercials, so they used loud commercials to grab their attention as they moved to other parts of their home.”

On a voice vote late Thursday, the House passed an Eshoo-sponsored bill that would force the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to set new, lower volume standards for ads. The legislation, already passed by the Senate, now goes to President Obama for his signature.

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Flickr / Jeremy Keith (CC-BY)