Systems and methods are disclosed for providing resilient flow control in the context of the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) and in other contexts. In one embodiment, a method is provided for managing access to a network resource such as a forward access channel. Upon receiving a request from an entity such as a radio network controller to use the network resource, a set of credits is allocated to the entity. Periodically, the credits that have been allocated are reviewed, and revoked if they have not been used within a predefined period of time.