For over two decades the DRB Subcommittee of the NRSC has been a broadcast industry focal point in the development and testing of in-band/on-channel (IBOC) digital radio. (On September 21, 2005, the NRSC changed the name of the DAB Subcommittee to the DRB Subcommittee.)
This Subcommittee conducted detailed evaluations of the iBiquity Digital Corporation (now Xperi) HD Radio AM and FM IBOC systems (completed in April 2002 and November 2001, respectively) which figured prominently in the October 2002 FCC Report & Order establishing interim authorization for IBOC digital radio broadcasting.
Currently the DRB Subcommittee and its working groups are involved in maintaining NRSC-5, a voluntary industry standard for AM and FM IBOC digital radio, based on Xperi’s HD Radio technology, and in developing technical Guidelines on technical topics relating to NRSC-5 such as NRSC-G200. The DRB Subcommittee is a “formulating group” with the ability to develop and adopt NRSC standards, guidelines and reports.