System and method for allocating and managing a shared Internet access channel on an Internet access device. The system and method prioritize data flow in a multi-user, limited bandwidth networking environment by differentiating data types for disparate processing thereof by which a plurality of aggregation classes are hierarchically ordered to include at least one favored class (bandwidth guaranteed) and at least one disfavored class (best effort). Network sessions are aggregated into these classes according to an aggregation policy and bandwidth is asymmetrically allocated to the sessions according to a plurality of algorithms operating in conjunction with the hierarchy.