Forward link transmission power to a user terminal in a wireless communications system having a plurality of beams is controlled by determining a baseline power level, Pbaseline, from a received active pilot channel signal-to-noise ratio (SNR); determining a power margin, Pmargin, from an identified interference susceptibility; determining a power level correction, Pcorrection, based on an identified quality of service metric (QSM); determining a fade correction factor, Pfade, based on a detected fade environment; and setting Ptransmit based on Pbaseline, Pmargin, Pcorrection and Pfade. For example, Ptransmit may be set to a power level that is substantially equal to the sum of Pbaseline, Pmargin, Pcorrection and Pfade. The determination of each of Pbaseline, Pmargin, Pcorrection and Pfade may be performed in independently running control loops or processes.