In some embodiments, a bandwidth constrained equalized transport (BCET) communication system comprises a transmitter that transmits a signal, a communication channel that transports the signal, and a receiver that receives the signal. The transmitter can comprise a pulse-shaping filter that intentionally introduces memory into the signal, and an error control code encoder that is a low-density parity-check (LDPC) error control code encoder. The error control encoder comprises code that is optimized based on the intentionally introduced memory into the signal, a code rate, a signal-to-noise ratio, and an equalizer structure in the receiver. In some embodiments, the communication system is bandwidth constrained, and the transmitted signal comprises an information rate that is higher than for an equivalent system without intentional introduction of the memory at the transmitter.