Income Taxes and Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Income Taxes and Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes

Schedule of components of the (provision for) benefit from income taxes

	For the Years Ended December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
	(In thousands)
Current (benefit) provision:
Federal	$	(230,935)	$	173,326	$	44,451
State		22,566		43,579		29,918
Foreign		7,471		6,203		4,616
Total current (benefit) provision		(200,898)		223,108		78,985
Deferred (benefit) provision:
Federal		610,528		204,403		383,096
State		243,216		21,732		64,000
Increase (decrease) in valuation allowance		45,429		2,115		7,603
Total deferred (benefit) provision		899,173		228,250		454,699
Total (benefit) provision	$	698,275	$	451,358	$	533,684

Schedule of reconciliation of amounts computed by applying the statutory Federal tax rate to income before taxes

	For the Years Ended December 31,
	2020	2019	2018
	% of pre-tax income/(loss)
Statutory rate	21.0	21.0	21.0
State income taxes, net of federal benefit	4.6	3.2	4.6
State apportionment changes	5.4	—	—
Cares Act NOL Carryback	(2.3)	—	—
Other, net	(1.6)	(1.0)	(1.2)
Total (benefit) provision for income taxes	27.1	23.2	24.4

Schedule of deferred tax assets and liabilities

	As of December 31,
	2020		2019
	(In thousands)
Deferred tax assets:
NOL, interest, credit and other carryforwards	$	128,968	$	368,545
Accrued and prepaid expenses		—		8,488
Stock-based compensation		17,962		19,821
Unrealized (gains) losses on available for sale and other investments		9,862		4,137
Deferred revenue		26,977		17,238
Total deferred tax assets		183,769		418,229
Valuation allowance		(73,788)		(28,359)
Deferred tax asset after valuation allowance		109,981		389,870
Deferred tax liabilities:
Depreciation		(467,922)		(583,374)
Accrued and prepaid expenses		(72,314)		—
FCC authorizations and other intangible amortization		(2,542,887)		(2,040,885)
Bases difference in partnerships and cost method investments (1)		(744,911)		(573,548)
Discount on convertible notes and convertible note hedge transaction, net		(151,517)		(62,718)
Total deferred tax liabilities		(3,979,551)		(3,260,525)
Net deferred tax asset (liability)	$	(3,869,570)	$	(2,870,655)

(1) Included in this line item are deferred taxes related to, among other things, our non-controlling investments in Northstar Spectrum and SNR HoldCo, including deferred taxes created by the tax amortization of the Northstar Licenses and SNR Licenses.

Schedule of reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits

	For the Years Ended December 31,
Unrecognized tax benefit	2020		2019		2018
	(In thousands)
Balance as of beginning of period	$	674,207	$	385,394	$	393,916
Additions based on tax positions related to the current year		233		244,257		10,350
Additions based on tax positions related to prior years		1,999		61,909		1,670
Reductions based on tax positions related to prior years		(296,265)		(13,028)		(6,291)
Reductions based on tax positions related to settlements with taxing authorities		(831)		(2,362)		(8,328)
Reductions based on tax positions related to the lapse of the statute of limitations		(876)		(1,963)		(5,923)
Balance as of end of period	$	378,467	$	674,207	$	385,394