Abstract: A method (600) that adjusts, at a predetermined boundary of a protocol utilized in decoding information from a signal received by a receiver (122), a symbol rate of the protocol (400). A processor (208) loads into a programmable counter (306), before a first boundary (412) of the protocol (400), a count of clock cycles defined to be received in the signal between the first and predetermined boundaries (414). The counter (306) counts from the first boundary (412), for a number of clock cycles equal to the count, a recovered bit clock synchronized with the signal and having the bit rate of the signal, to detect an occurrence of the predetermined boundary (414). The processor (208) loads, between the first (412) and predetermined boundaries (414), the another symbol rate into a bit-rate selection circuit (304).