A communication system may be configured to transmit information from one or more information sources to a plurality of users over limited capacity media while enforcing one or more Quality of Service policies, such as maximum information rate (MIR) policies. Methods are presented herein for enforcing maximum information rate on two or more levels in a hierarchal and extendable manner, for at least the purposes of maximizing utilization of available capacity over said media and of fair distributing said capacity between all users. Also presented herein is a method for estimating load over said media.