In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, a method for improving synchronization of communications between a first port and a second port is provided, the method performed at the first port and comprising: inserting skip symbols into a transmission stream for transmissions from the first port to the second port, wherein the skip symbols are inserted at a first average frequency level; detecting a lack of synchronization between the first port and the second port; and inserting skip symbols into the transmission stream at a second average frequency level greater than the first average frequency level in response to the detecting.