Embodiments provide solutions to reduce power utilization (either at individual cable modems or in the overall network) in future cable networks. Particularly, embodiments seek to reduce power utilization at individual cable modems and in the overall network, by pre-compensating upstream transmissions according to feedback channel characteristics received from the headend. According to embodiments, pre-compensation is performed using power filtering/amplification and/or bit loading. Pre-compensation can be performed individually per cable modem. Further, pre-compensation can be performed over the entire upstream frequency spectrum and/or over particular sub-hands of the frequency spectrum as appropriate for each cable modem.