Use of reverse transmission power history as basis to vary frequency of engaging in background communications

Disclosed is a method and corresponding wireless communication device (WCD) arranged to control how often the device engages in background communication. For example, the WCD may programmatically evaluate a history of transmission power that it has used for transmitting to a serving radio access network. Based on that history of transmission power, the device may then determine how often it should engage in background communications and may set itself to engage in background communications at that determined frequency.