An adaptive and scalable packet error correction apparatus and method in a wireless multicast network is provided. Each retransmission request from a receiver contains a round number and the number of repairs sent in that round. At each receiver, there are two counters for counting the rounds sent out on the network and the number of repairs that have been required. A receiver on the wireless multicast network listens to the ARQ requests sent by other receivers to update the two counters and determines whether its request should be suppressed or be sent out.