Allocations of access across a communications medium

A method of providing network access across a shared communications medium between competing users pursuant to service level agreements (SLAs) of the users, comprising the steps of:

• determining whether each user is assigned a forecast function;
• in response to determining that at least one user is not assigned a forecast function, assigning a forecast function to at least one user;
• determining forecasted network access usage by each user for respective predetermined future time intervals;
• identifying a period of high forecasted network access usage of a user;
• determining forecasted network access usage, at least one candidate for modification of an service level agreement (SLA);
• and
• soliciting at least one candidate to modify a SLA to guarantee a minimum level of network access during an anticipated future recurrent period of high network access usage.

A system of providing network access across a shared communications medium between competing users pursuant to service level agreements (SLAs) of the users, comprising:

• a first determining component configured to determine whether each user has been assigned a forecast function;
• a second determining component configured to determine forecasted network access usage by each user during a future time interval;
• a comparing component configured to compare said forecasted network access usage by each user with a predetermined threshold value;
• a third determining component configured to determine at least one candidate for modification of an SLA;
• and
• a soliciting component configured to solicit at least one candidate to modify an SLA related to that candidate.