Abstract: A method and apparatus for configuring service groups in a cable network is provided. A method may comprise identifying a primary downstream channel in a cable network and identifying a plurality of fiber nodes fed by the primary downstream channel. For each fiber node identified, the method may comprise identifying a set of downstream channels communicating with the fiber node. If duplicate sets are identified, duplicate sets of downstream channels may be eliminated and a downstream service group may be associated with each of the remaining sets of downstream channels. In an example embodiment, at least one Media Access Control (MAC) domain is automatically selected to correspond to the identified service groups.