Embodiments of the disclosure are generally directed to disabling sounding, resource-block allocation, and various full-duplex (FDX) capabilities in a particular portion of a spectrum used in FDX-enabled cable networks. The disclosure further describes using an upstream mode of communication in the particular portion of the spectrum originally designated for FDX communication. In another aspect, the disclosure can thereby facilitate an increase in upstream capacity on the cable network, for example, a fifteen-fold increase in the upstream capacity. In some embodiments, control messages can be transmitted from a controller node to devices on the network periodically, describing the usage of the FDX portion of the spectrum for upstream transmission. The control messages can include medium access control (MAC) management messages and/or tag-length-value (TLV) messages.