A method for determining spare capacity for a video and data network from a network element database is provided. The method includes receiving a request for spare capacity in the video and data network. The request may include a service area identifier, which may be a telephone number of a customer. Using the service area identifier, equipment is then identified and checked for spare capacity. The network element database is checked to determine if the identified equipment has spare data and video capacity and if the equipment has spare data and video capacity, spare video and data capacity is calculated for the identified equipment.