Reverse link busy bits are independently generated by each base station and indicate whether a base station has reached a reverse link capacity limit. A remote station combines multipath components of the reverse link busy bits in its Active Set and in response transmits a reverse link signal only when all of the reverse link busy bits indicate that the base stations in the Active Set have reverse link capacity. In one description, the remote station weights the reverse link busy signals in accordance with the signal strength of the transmitting base station and determines whether to transmit based on the weighted sum of the busy signals. In another description, the remote station weights the reverse link busy signals in accordance with the signal strength of the transmitting base station and determines a maximum reverse link data rate based on the weighted sum of the busy signals.