Television commercials are too loud, as most viewers know, and members of Congress want broadcasters to turn down the volume.

A bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., would require the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to "preclude commercials from being broadcast at louder volumes than the program material they accompany."

That idea is hard to resist, but it might be difficult to mandate. "Many different entities are responsible for producing and distributing the content consumers see and hear," U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., said Thursday at a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Telecommunications Subcommittee.

Broadcasters say they are addressing the problem already. "The major television broadcast networks, including ABC, NBC, CBS (CBS) and Fox, are each, individually, implementing policies that attempt to control loud commercials," said David Donovan, president of the Association for Maximum Service Television, or MSTV, a broadcast industry trade group.

ABC is owned by the Walt Disney Co. (DIS). NBC is a unit of General Electric Co. (GE). Fox is owned by News Corp. (NWS), which also owns Dow Jones Newswires.

Donovan said Eshoo's bill could actually slow TV stations' voluntary efforts to control commercial volumes because any FCC proceeding would generate wide debate and uncertainty.

Democrats appear undeterred, however. "I suspect that if enacted, this measure will become as popular as the legislation that created the 'Do Not Call' list," said Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher, D-Va.

It's unclear how much momentum the measure has in a congressional committee that also is tasked with massive health care and climate change overhauls.

A congressional hearing alone could spur broadcasters to solve the problem without the bill ever becoming law.

"I can assure you that the industry is motivated to act," said NBC Universal Principal Engineer and Audio Architect Jim Starzynksi. Final review of an industry standard on commercial volume is expected in July, and broadcasters could begin implementing it by fall, he said.

The Telecom Subcommittee also is considering legislation to lower the prices prison inmates pay for phone calls. Some relatives of inmates - many with limited incomes - have phone bills totaling $300 to $400 a month because they accept collect calls from family members inside a prison.

That bill is facing opposition from law enforcement and companies that specialize in inmate telecommunications services, such as Securus Technologies Inc., a Texas-based company.

Securus Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs Curtis Hopfinger told the subcommittee that the imposing rate caps on inmate calls would stifle competition in the market.

-By Fawn Johnson, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9263; fawn.johnson@dowjones.com