FREQ CONGESTION AND CLRNC CONFUSION RESULT IN BLOCKED ALLEYWAY AT LAX.

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ACFT AT GATE IN LAX; READY FOR PUSHBACK. FO CALLED LAX GND CTL FOR PUSHBACK CLRNC. AFTER A FEW MINS; I COULD SEE THAT HE WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY GETTING A RESPONSE FROM THE CTLR STATING THAT THE FREQ WAS EXTREMELY CONGESTED. I WAS COMMUNICATING WITH GND PERSONNEL TO INFORM THEM THAT WE WERE READY FOR PUSHBACK BUT HAD NOT YET RECEIVED A CLRNC TO DO SO. THE FO INFORMED ME THAT HE WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH CTLR COMS BUT THAT WE WERE CLRED TO PUSH. I THEN MONITORED GND CTL FREQ AND HEARD THE CTLR TELL HIM THAT SHE HAD ALREADY ANSWERED HIM AND TO 'STAND BY.' HE INSISTED THAT SHE HAD CLRED US FOR PUSHBACK ON HIS INITIAL CONTACT WITH HER. I ASKED HIM TO CONFIRM AND ALLOWED THE GND PERSONNEL TO BEGIN THE PUSHBACK. WHILE I WAS BUSY COMMUNICATING WITH THEM I DID NOT NOTICE THAT HE WAS ABLE TO VERIFY THE CLRNC AS I HAD REQUESTED HIM TO DO. ONCE WE WERE IN THE ALLEYWAY THE GND CTLR INFORMED US THAT WE HAD NOT BEEN CLRED TO PUSH AND TO RETURN TO THE GATE IMMEDIATELY. I ADVISED THE GND PERSONNEL TO RETURN THE ACFT TO THE GATE AT ONCE AS WE WERE BLOCKING 2 INBOUND ACFT. AT THAT TIME THE TUG APPARENTLY RAN OUT OF FUEL AND WE WERE STRANDED IN THE ALLEY. I CONTACTED THE GND CTLR AND INFORMED HER OF THE SIT AT WHICH TIME SHE BECAME VERY UPSET. ANOTHER TUG WAS SUMMONED AND THE ACFT WAS MOVED SO THAT BOTH ACFT COULD PASS WITHIN ABOUT 2-3 MINS. I ONCE AGAIN REQUESTED PUSHBACK CLRNC AND WAS CLRED TO DO SO. THE GND CTLR ADMONISHED ME FOR NOT VERIFYING WHAT I UNDERSTOOD THE CLRNC TO BE. RATHER THAN ARGUE WITH HER OR TRY TO EXPLAIN THAT WE HAD ATTEMPTED TO DO SO OVER A BADLY CONGESTED RADIO FREQ; I APOLOGIZED AND FOLLOWED HER INSTRUCTIONS. UPON REQUESTING TAXI CLRNC; I WAS ORDERED TO HOLD FOR ABOUT 5 MINS AND FINALLY INSTRUCTED TO TAXI TO RWY 24L VIA TXWY E. NO FURTHER EXCHANGE WITH GND CTL WAS INITIATED; WE DEPARTED NORMALLY. I FEEL THIS SIT WAS IN PART CAUSED BY OVER-CONGESTION ON THE GND CTL FREQ AT LAX. IT WAS APPARENT THAT THE CTLR WAS UNDER A GREAT DEAL OF STRESS AND PERHAPS NOT USING COMPLETELY STANDARD PHRASEOLOGY. THE FO'S EXUBERANCE TO GET THE ACFT UNDERWAY ON TIME MAY HAVE ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE SIT. I BELIEVE THE GND CTLR COULD HAVE INSTRUCTED THE FO UPON INITIAL CONTACT TO 'HOLD POS.' THIS WOULD HAVE REMOVED ANY AMBIGUITY IN HIS MIND. THERE WAS DEFINITELY SOME CONFUSION AS TO WHETHER WE WERE CLRED TO MOVE THE ACFT OR NOT; THE FO BEING CONVINCED THAT WE WERE. THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR; HOWEVER; WAS MY ALLOWING THE ACFT TO BE MOVED WITHOUT BEING 100% CERTAIN OF THE CLRNC. I SHOULD HAVE MADE CERTAIN THE FO DID INDEED FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTION TO VERIFY WHAT HE THOUGHT THE CLRNC TO BE BEFORE ALLOWING THE PUSHBACK TO CONTINUE. PERHAPS A DISCRETE PUSHBACK FREQ ON THE N SIDE OF THE LAX TERMINAL SIMILAR TO WHAT IS IMPLEMENTED ON THE S SIDE WOULD HAVE ALLEVIATED THIS PROB.