Abstract: Layered transmission of data is the general recommended solution to the problem of varying bandwidth constraints in multicast applications. In this paper, several existing layered multicast congestion control protocols are analyzed and their inherent shortcomings are pointed out. Then a novel layered multicast congestion control, PLMCC that is based on packet-pair, is presented. In PLMCC, middle nodes and receivers infer local available bandwidth accurately and quickly by hop-by-hop downward packet-pair. Moreover, each receiver can obtain its optimal throughput in the least time just only sending feedback message to its parent. Simulation results show that PLMCC not only can converge fast, but also is TCP-friendly and scalable.