an internal arbiter for a repeater in a computer network regulates access to a common communication channel through which the repeaters communicate with each other . the internal arbiter of the present invention uses a hybrid structure to detect possible contention between repeaters for access to the common communication channel . this hybrid structure combines the fast speed of a system which uses a plurality of dedicated wires to broadcast arbitration signals between repeaters , with expandability of a daisy chain interconnection to perform the same function . additionally , the present invention provides a method for insuring that arbitration inputs are stabilized before they influence arbitration outputs by interposing a delay into the arbitration inputs , and only proceeding to generate arbitration outputs if the input values agree with the delayed input values .