Systems and methods for operating a network. The methods comprise: determining, by a first network node, a capacity of each communications link of a plurality of communications links on which the first network node is able to receive data from second network nodes; determining, by the first network node, a total number of network nodes that share the capacity of each said communications link of the plurality of communications links; computing, by the first network node, first data transmission rates for the plurality of communications links using the capacities and the total numbers of network nodes, respectively; comparing, by the first network node, the first data transmission rates to each other to determine which data transmission rate has a lowest value; and/or performing communication operations by the first network node in accordance with the data transmission rate determined to have the lowest value of the first data transmission rates.