Methods and apparatus for determining a portion of a channel, e.g., a peer discovery channel, to use in a communications network, e.g., an ad hoc peer to peer network, are described. In the communication network, the channel includes a recurring set of time/frequency resources. A device monitors the congestion level and decides to use a whole channel or a fraction of a channel (e.g., ½. ¼) as a function of the congestion level. The device may change the fraction of the channel it occupies as the congestion level changes. The device broadcasts control information indicating the fraction of the channel it occupies. The device may be a mobile wireless terminal.