Apparatus for managing resources of a communication hub providing communication links to respective ground stations (18.1-18.N), the apparatus comprising: a link manager configured for initially assigning respective power and frequency bandwidth combinations to individual links according to current conditions pertaining to respective links, each power and frequency bandwidth combination having a corresponding resource cost, wherein said assigned power and frequency bandwidth combinations are for a transponder which contains the inbound links from said respective ground stations (18.1-18.N) toward said hub; and characterized by: a controller configured for assigning to said inbound links respective MODCODs selected from a set of MODCODs, said set of MODCODs being ordered from high to low, wherein higher MODCODs of said set consume more power equivalent bandwidth than frequency bandwidth while lower MODCODs of said set consume more frequency bandwidth than PEB, and controllably selecting alternative respective power and frequency bandwidth combinations for selected ones of said links to reduce resource usage in view of MODCODs assigned to others of said links, thereby to controllably balance consumed power and frequency bandwidth of said inbound links at said transponder to lie within available overall power and frequency bandwidth resource limitations. a link manager configured for initially assigning respective power and frequency bandwidth combinations to individual links according to current conditions pertaining to respective links, each power and frequency bandwidth combination having a corresponding resource cost, wherein said assigned power and frequency bandwidth combinations are for a transponder which contains the inbound links from said respective ground stations (18.1-18.N) toward said hub; and characterized by: a controller configured for assigning to said inbound links respective MODCODs selected from a set of MODCODs, said set of MODCODs being ordered from high to low, wherein higher MODCODs of said set consume more power equivalent bandwidth than frequency bandwidth while lower MODCODs of said set consume more frequency bandwidth than PEB, and controllably selecting alternative respective power and frequency bandwidth combinations for selected ones of said links to reduce resource usage in view of MODCODs assigned to others of said links, thereby to controllably balance consumed power and frequency bandwidth of said inbound links at said transponder to lie within available overall power and frequency bandwidth resource limitations. a controller configured for assigning to said inbound links respective MODCODs selected from a set of MODCODs, said set of MODCODs being ordered from high to low, wherein higher MODCODs of said set consume more power equivalent bandwidth than frequency bandwidth while lower MODCODs of said set consume more frequency bandwidth than PEB, and controllably selecting alternative respective power and frequency bandwidth combinations for selected ones of said links to reduce resource usage in view of MODCODs assigned to others of said links, thereby to controllably balance consumed power and frequency bandwidth of said inbound links at said transponder to lie within available overall power and frequency bandwidth resource limitations.