A method providing channel quality indicator (CQI) feedback from subscriber stations (SSs) to a base station (BS) may include a combination of a thresholding scheme and a best-M scheme. Another method providing CQI feedback may include providing multiple feedback channels, with SSs randomly allocating CQI values among the multiple feedback channels. The BS may choose a prevailing CQI message when channel contention occurs. Another method of providing CQI feedback may include SSs transmitting to the BS numbers of their CQI values that exceed a CQI threshold. Based on these numbers, the BS may determine how many CQI values each SS may send, and on which channels. The SSs may send these CQI values according to instructions from the BS.