a method for combining a simple forward error correction code i . e ., a hamming - like code with scrambling and descrambling functions is disclosed . therefore , irrespective of the information to be transported , received data may be corrected , bit error spreading effects being handled , while providing desirable signal characteristics such as signal dc balance and enough signal transitions . the overhead introduced by the method is a modest increase over the original overhead of the 10 gb ethernet 64b / 66b code .