Gain control circuit for linear equalizer with programmable equal step peaking gain

Embodiments of a gain control circuit and a wideband communication circuit that uses the gain control circuit are disclosed. In an embodiment, gain control circuit includes first and second output terminals to output gain control signals and first and second diode-connected transistors connected between a supply voltage and the first and second output terminals, which are connected to input terminals of a communication component circuit with a plurality of input transistors. The gain control circuit further includes a current digital-to-analog converter connected to the diode-connected transistors to generate first and second currents for the diode-connected transistors based on an N-bit input code, wherein a ratio of the first and second currents sets voltages of the gain control signals that are output from the gain control circuit to the communication component circuit to control signal gain provided by the communication component circuit.