Digital Signals Coming to the AM Broadcast Band

The full scoop is at the Federal Register, but here's the summary:

The Federal Communications Commission proposes to amend its rules to allow AM broadcasters to use all-digital transmissions.  All-digital AM broadcasting has the potential to provide a more reliable and robust radio signal than analog, as well as auxiliary digital services.

Reading further down the (very long) page, it looks like the proposal is to take the analog core out of the existing hybrid IBOC signal, and squeeze the digital portions in closer to the carrier frequency.  But it's hard to tell exactly what digital standard is being proposed.  Doesn't look like it Digital Radio Mondial however.

Even so, this is a big move in the right direction, and about on schedule with what I'd predicted just over five years ago: five to ten years, give or take.  Glad to see the wheels turning with this.

For more discussion and speculation, here's a related article at The SWLing Post (nice pic with cool clouds too, btw), and some previous commentary here dating to 2013, 2014, last April, and last November.