It looks like, at long last, the Congress has finally done something worth mention. With all the hubbub about healthcare, the economy, and a vast number of other causes that need attention, the Congress has finally passed the CALM Act, and so shines a good deed in a weary world. There is nothing more irritating than watching a Seinfeld episode at a reasonable volume only to be rudely interrupted by an obscenely loud commercial about toilet tissue paper.
All of us in the know, indeed, know that for all the work that is done in this nation's capital, little is done in the way of practical importance. Sure, there is some work to be done on the healthcare issues, tax issues, and, well, the list goes on ad infinitum. Through the darkness comes this welcome relief. This past December our present President, Mr. Obama, did something worth mention. He signed into law the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act. Here is a link to the FCC's webpage on the subject and how to deal with the problem until the regulations take effect:
The White House said that the bill would require the Federal Communications Commission to prescribe a limitation to the volume of commercials transmitted by television broadcast stations, cable operators, and other multichannel video programming distributors. From what I have come to understand, this means that the commercial volumes cannot in anywise be louder than the program one is currently viewing. That is, all volume, across the board, has to be at one level. So if you, like me, happen to drift off to sleep on the couch with History playing, you will not, at least by the mere volume, of the electric abdominal cruncher, be blasted awake. Who said that the government could not accomplish anything? I, for one, have to take issue with that sentiment in light of the current progress with CALM. What was once a dream has become a reality.
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