In a communication system (100), a method and an accompanying apparatus provide for acknowledging reception of a packet of data. A receiver (400) at a serving base station (101) receives a message on an acknowledgement channel (340) for indicating the reception of the packet of data at a mobile station (102), and may determine an erasure of the message. A non-serving base station (160) may also receive the message on the acknowledgement channel (340) from the mobile station (102), determines a value of the message, and communicates the value of the message to the serving base station (101). The serving base station (101) changes the erasure to the value of the message, and terminates a transmission of a remainder of data units of the packet of data to the mobile station (102) when the value of the message is a positive acknowledgment from the non-serving base station (160).