Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention include approaches for selecting a routing path of a data set from its source to its destination on a network and allocating a network cost for delivering the data set. The approaches include collecting traffic information on the network, determining one or more routing paths from the source to the destination, computing network cost(s) associated with the routing path(s), selecting a routing path based on the associated network costs, a flow value associated with the data set, and the collected traffic information, and allocating the network cost to network users in accordance with a cost policy.