Maybe it's me, but it seems like commercials have gotten louder again lately—like within the last few months. Maybe broadcasters are testing the FCC to see what they're willing to enforce?
I've noticed the same thing. It seems like it did get better for a while (around the time the FCC mandated the volume restrictions), but now it seems just as bad as it ever was. I wonder what the text of the regulation states. I wonder if it says something about how they can't boost the volume for commercials compared to the show/program. If so, I wonder if they just now play the show/program at a much lower volume, thus giving the effect that the commercial is louder (thus, complying with the regulation and not boosting the volume of the ads). Now, if the regulation stated something about the relative volumes of the shows vs. the ads, then it might be harder to "cheat".
I like that HN isn't afraid of older content, but you know, caveat lector.