A hierarchical link scheduling system and method is provided. A central controller gathers network information, including global parameters and long term demands, and determines an initial schedule for link activation based on these variables. A scheduler receives the initial schedule and modifies the initial schedule based on local parameters, inter-schedule negotiation, or other short term or localized requests. The scheduler activates the links according to the modified schedule. Accordingly, the scheduler can be responsible for modifying the initial schedule provided by central controller with localized or short term requests or demands, and providing the necessary parameters to enable link activation between nodes according to the modified schedule.