Patent ID: 6917622

Claim:
A Carrier Network for providing communication between multiple users and a Service Provider, comprising: (a) computer network equipment defining an Intermediate Network and a shared communications medium, said Intermediate Network and said shared communications medium extending between the users and the Service Provider for conveying data therebetween, said shared communications medium joining the users with said Intermediate Network such that data of each user is conveyed over said shared communications medium to and from the Intermediate Network whereby the users compete for network access; and (b) software for managing network access of the users across said shared communications medium, said software including computer-executable instructions that performs the steps of: (i) monitoring the network access usage by each user for a time interval; (ii) based on the monitored network access usage, setting a network access allowance for each user representing a level of network access made available for utilization by the user during a future time interval, but not necessarily representing the level of network access that will be utilized by such user during the future time interval; and (iii) prioritizing users based on user data throughput during a time interval, with a user with lesser data throughput rate receiving priority over a user with a greater data throughput rate.