Method and apparatus for scheduling transmissions in a communication system

Method and apparatus for a generalized scheduler for scheduling transmissions in a communications system. The scheduler is defined by a priority function of the channel condition and fairness criteria. The generalized scheduler is adapted to apply a variety of combinations of channel condition metrics and user fairness metrics. The scheduler distinguishes among classes of users, allowing individual processing per class. In one embodiment, a system controller receives a Delivery Priority Parameter (DPP) for each of a plurality of users, and maps each DPP to a corresponding common Mapped Priority Parameter (MPP). An operating point is determined and a corresponding MPP value for each of the users is applied to schedule transmissions.