Editing AM broadcasting (section)

===Expanded band===
{{Main|AM expanded band#United States}}

On June 8, 1988, an [[International Telecommunication Union]] (ITU)-sponsored conference held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil adopted provisions, effective July 1, 1990, to extend the upper end of the Region 2 AM broadcast band, by adding ten frequencies which spanned from 1610&nbsp;kHz to 1700&nbsp;kHz.<ref>[http://handle.itu.int/11.1004/020.1000/4.118.43.en.100 ''Final Acts of the Regional Radio Conference to Establish a Plan for the Broadcasting Service in the Band 1605-1705 in Region 2''] (PDF) (Rio de Janeiro, 1988, ITU.int)</ref> At this time it was suggested that as many as 500 U.S. stations could be assigned to the new frequencies.<ref>[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1988/BC-1988-05-23.pdf#page=55 "RIO is stage for AM spectrum conference"], ''Broadcasting'', May 23, 1988, pp. 55–56.</ref>

On April 12, 1990, the FCC voted to begin the process of populating the expanded band, with the main priority being the reduction of interference on the existing AM band, by transferring selected stations to the new frequencies. It was now estimated that the expanded band could accommodate around 300 U.S. stations.<ref>[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1990/BB-1990-04-28.pdf#page=10 "FCC Votes To Proceed With AM-Band Improvement Plans"] by Bill Holland, ''Billboard'', April 28, 1990, page 10.</ref> However, it turned out that the number of possible station reassignments was much lower, with a 2006 accounting reporting that, out of 4,758 licensed U.S. AM stations, only 56 were now operating on the expanded band.<ref>[https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/life-on-expanded-band-is-pretty-good "Life on Expanded Band Is (Pretty) Good"] by Randy J. Stine, February 28, 2006 (radioworld.com)</ref> Moreover, despite an initial requirement that by the end of five years either the original station or its expanded band counterpart had to cease broadcasting,<ref>[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uva.x004848309;view=1up;seq=268 "Mass Media Bureau Announces Revised AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan and Filing Window for Eligible Stations"] (FCC DA 97-537), March 17, 1997.</ref> as of 2015 there were 25 cases where the original standard band station was still on the air, despite also operating as an expanded band station.