This read-only Counter counts the total packets that higher-layer protocols requested be transmitted that were addressed to a multicast or broadcast address, including discarded or unsent packets, though it is deprecated in favor of separate outbound multicast and broadcast counters. An admin on an older deployment without those newer counters uses this combined figure to spot excessive outbound broadcast traffic on a DS0 link. For example, an admin seeing this counter climb rapidly on a point-to-point DS0 circuit would suspect a broadcast storm being forwarded out that channel.