The Senate passed the CALM (Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation) Act on Wednesday, clearing the way for a quieter living room.

The measure, which would require broadcasters to keep the volume of commercials at the same level as regular programming, was already passed by the House.

What took them so long? — PZS

AP via Yahoo:

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.

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