One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for operating an electronic device. The technique includes an electronic device determining one or more signal characteristics of a link between the electronic device and a base station, estimating a coupling loss for the link based on the one or more signal characteristics, determining whether the coupling loss exceeds a maximum coupling loss (MCL) for the link; and in response to determining that the coupling loss exceeds the MCL, delaying transmission of one or more messages from the electronic device over the link to the base station.