Various embodiments of the disclosed PON system enable approximate leveling of the optical-modulation amplitudes in a sequence of optical bursts received by a system's OLT from a plurality of ONUs. Some embodiments additionally enable approximate leveling of the average optical power, received at the OLT from different ONUs, in such a sequence. Some embodiments may rely on control messaging between the OLT and ONUs to perform one or both types of leveling. The disclosed leveling may advantageously provide an effective tool for optimizing upstream transmission for high-speed TDM-PONs.