“There ought to be a law.” On more than one occasions, that is what I’ve uttered as I struggle upward from my recumbent position on the couch and reach toward the coffee table for the remote – all in an effort to turn down the television volume. Why? Because the commercials are too damn loud.

Soon there could be a law. The issue, which has vexed TV enthusiasts for years, has not escaped the notice of the United States Congress which yesterday heard from a variety of experts while considering H.R. 1084, the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act.

The CALM Act would require the Federal Communications Commission to develop a federal regulation setting a standard volume for programming and commercials so that ads “shall not be excessively noisy or strident.”

Is this a national priority meriting the attention of the nation’s highest legislative bodies? I’m skeptical. Then again, government regulates lots of things that impact our everyday lives, and nothing impacts each and every day of my life like the sweet comfort of several uninterrupted hours in front of the television.

But the TV industry may beat Congress to the punch. The Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet heard from Jim Starzynski, a lead audio engineer for NBC Universal. Starzynski said Congressional action is unwarranted. Not because they should be focusing on climate change, education, or economic collapse, but because the industry is already close to a solution:

We are motivated to give our audience the best possible listening experience, and we know that experience is not currently optimal. […] I am here to tell you that, in fact, the television industry understands the concerns about television loudness. We have invested significant effort and resources in voluntary action to address the situation. This hearing is timely because we are on the cusp of offering a solution. 

This raises a larger question: When industry pledges voluntary compliance, should government plod ahead anyway, especially on an issue where neither life nor welfare nor economic well-being is at stake? The answer, after a word from our sponsors.

Image by Flickr user iamdanw, used under a Creative Commons license.