Sun Times - The Federal Communications Commission announced Tuesday it has adopted regulations requiring broadcasters and cable and satellite TV systems to maintain constant volume levels. The order, which goes into effect in one year, “says commercials must have the same average volume as the programs they accompany,” says FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski...“It is a problem that thousands of viewers have complained about, and we are doing something about it,” Genachowski says...“Slowly but surely, consumers are going to get something they have been wanting,” says David Butler of the Consumers Union. “I never characterized this as saving the Union,” says Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., the original sponsor of the bill. “But consumers have been asking for it. We may not have peace in the world, but we may have more peaceful homes.”
There are Senators and Representatives who work on things like the Budget Committee, the Armed Services Committee, The Appropriations and Finance committee, The Waste Everyones Time Holding Various Steroid Hearings Committee, etc... Very important sounding committees on paper, but ultimately useless wastes of times because no one can ever agree on anything and everything just gets deadlocked and goes no where.
Then there are true American political heroes, ones like Rep. Anna Eshoo of California, who saw a problem, cut through the red tape, and got shit done. Overly loud commercials have plagued my TV viewing experience basically ever since Continental Cablevision placed their first cable box in my household like 20 years ago. It's annoying, it's intrusive, and it's presumably led to countless divorces with husbands and wives yelling at each other to turn the TV down, with the other one yelling back that, "IT'S JUST THE COMMERCIALS, I DON'T WANT TO TURN IT DOWN NOW JUST TO TURN IT BACK UP AGAIN IN TWO MINUTES WHEN MY SHOW COMES BACK ON!" (am I right?).
Well no more. David Butler doesn't want to characterize this bill as saving the Union, so I'll do it for him. This was one of the biggest perturbances in modern America, and soon, it'll be history, thanks to the actions of a brave handful of Americans willing to stand up against the seedy National Loud Commercials Consortium. A great day for America, A great day for Americans.
