The operation of a multicast network is enhanced by shifting the responsibility for performing congestion control with regulation for the transmission of multicast data packets from the transmitter to the receivers, such that each receiver computes a congestion control value using particular statistics that it accumulates and then forwards it congestion control value to the source/transmitter. The source then regulates its transmission of data packets in accordance with a selected one of the congestion control values that it receives. Moreover, a hierarchical reporting network may be used to convey the regulation values from the receivers to the source such that congestion control values generated by the receivers are consolidated at various layers in the hierarchical reporting network so that the source receives consolidated control values from just the receivers connected directly to the source, rather than a value from each of the receivers.