By CBC News

The United States is moving to limit the volume on intrusively loud television commercials.

Final congressional approval has been given to a bill that would prevent advertisers from abruptly raising the volume to catch the attention of viewers wandering off when regular programming is interrupted.

The bill's sponsor is Representative Anna Eshoo, a California Democrat. She said it was her own "earsplitting experiences" that got her involved, recalling how the ads "blew us out of the house" when she watched television, already set at a high volume, with her parents.

"TV programs use a variety of sound levels to build dramatic effect. But advertisements have been neither subtle nor nuanced," Eshoo said after the House passed the bill on a voice vote. When the law goes into effect, she said, "consumers will no longer have to experience being blasted at."

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