
Note 11.	Commitments and Contingencies

Litigation, Claims and Assessments

A number of cases that allege Sprint Communications Company L.P. failed to obtain easements from property owners during the installation of its fiber optic network in the 1980's have been filed in various courts. Several of these cases sought certification of nationwide classes, and in one case, a nationwide class was certified. In 2003, a nationwide settlement of these claims was approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, but objectors appealed the preliminary approval order to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which overturned the settlement and remanded the case to the trial court for further proceedings. We reached an agreement in principle to settle the claims for an amount not material to our consolidated financial position or results of operations. The Court issued its preliminary approval of the settlement on July 17, 2008, but on September 10, 2009, the Court announced that it would not approve the settlement. The Court did not decide whether the settlement was fair or in the best interest of class members, but denied on jurisdictional grounds. As a result, the agreement terminated, and the parties have continued their efforts to reach a settlement. We have begun to settle some suits on a statewide basis, and have received preliminary court approval of settlements in Idaho, Illinois, North Dakota and Alabama. We do not expect the resolution of this matter to have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.

On January 6, 2011, the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas denied our motion to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit, Bennett v. Sprint Nextel Corp., that alleges that the company and three of its former officers violated Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 by failing adequately to disclose certain alleged operational difficulties subsequent to the Sprint-Nextel merger, and by purportedly issuing false and misleading statements regarding the write-down of goodwill. The complaint was originally filed in March 2009 and is allegedly brought on behalf of purchasers of our common stock stock from October 26, 2006 to February 27, 2008. Our motion to certify the January 6, 2011 order for an interlocutory (or interim) appeal was denied, and discovery has begun. We believe the complaint is without merit and intend to defend the matter vigorously. We do not expect the resolution of this matter to have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.

Five related shareholder derivative suits were filed against the Company and certain of its present and/or former officers and directors. The first, Murphy v. Forsee, was filed in state court in Kansas in April 2009, was removed to federal court, and was stayed by the court pending resolution of the motion to dismiss the Bennett case. The second, Randolph v. Forsee, was filed in July 2010 in state court in Kansas, was removed to federal court, and was remanded back to state court. The third, Ross-Williams v. Bennett, et al., was filed in state court in Kansas on February 1, 2011; a fourth suit, Price v. Forsee, et al., was filed in state court in Kansas on April 15, 2011; and a fifth suit, Hartleib v. Forsee, et. al., was filed in federal court in Kansas on July 14, 2011. The parties are discussing a schedule for these cases going forward in light of the pendency of the Bennett case.

Various other suits, proceedings and claims, including purported class actions typical for a large business enterprise, are pending against us or our subsidiaries. While it is not possible to determine the ultimate disposition of each of these proceedings and whether they will be resolved consistent with our beliefs, we expect that the outcome of such proceedings, individually or in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.

Spectrum Reconfiguration Obligations

In 2004, the FCC adopted a Report and Order that included new rules regarding interference in the 800 MHz band and a comprehensive plan to reconfigure the 800 MHz band. The Report and Order provides for the exchange of a portion of our 800 MHz FCC spectrum licenses, and requires us to fund the cost incurred by public safety systems and other incumbent licensees to reconfigure the 800 MHz spectrum band. In addition, we received licenses for 10 MHz of nationwide spectrum in the 1.9 GHz band; however, we were required to relocate and reimburse the incumbent licensees in this band for their costs of relocation to another band designated by the FCC.

The minimum cash obligation is approximately $2.8 billion under the Report and Order. We are, however, obligated to pay the full amount of the costs relating to the reconfiguration plan, even if those costs exceed $2.8 billion. As required under the terms of the Report and Order, a letter of credit has been secured to provide assurance that funds will be available to pay the relocation costs of the incumbent users of the 800 MHz spectrum. We submit the qualified 800 MHz relocation costs to the FCC for review for potential letter of credit reductions on a periodic basis. As a result of these reviews, our letter of credit was reduced from $2.5 billion at the start of the project to $1.1 billion as of June 30, 2011, as approved by the FCC.

Total payments directly attributable to our performance under the Report and Order, from the inception of the program, are approximately $3.0 billion, of which $132 million was incurred related to FCC licenses during the six-month period ended June 30, 2011. When incurred, these costs are generally accounted for either as property, plant and equipment or as additions to the FCC licenses intangible asset. Although costs incurred to date have exceeded $2.8 billion, not all of those costs have been reviewed and accepted as eligible by the Transition Administrator. Regardless, we continue to estimate that total direct costs attributable to the spectrum reconfigurations will exceed the minimum cash obligation of $2.8 billion. This estimate is dependent on significant assumptions including the final licensee costs and costs associated with relocating licensees in the Mexican border region for which there is currently no approved border plan. In addition, we are entitled to receive reimbursement from the mobile satellite service (MSS) entrants for their pro rata portion of our costs (approximately $200 million) of clearing a portion of the 1.9 GHz spectrum. On September 29, 2010, the FCC affirmed the obligation of the MSS entrants to reimburse us and we are pursuing expeditious implementation of the FCC's decision, although there is uncertainty around the MSS entrants' ability to reimburse. However, the FCC's decision recognizes that uncertainty and allows us to pursue other avenues to obtain reimbursement from those entrants or their affiliates.

Completion of the 800 MHz band reconfiguration was initially required by June 26, 2008. The FCC continues to grant 800 MHz public safety licensees additional time to complete their band reconfigurations which, in turn, delays Sprint's access to some of our 800 MHz replacement channels. Under an October 2008 FCC Order, March 31, 2010 was the target date for us to begin to relinquish some of our 800 MHz channels on a region-by-region basis prior to receiving all of our FCC-designated 800 MHz replacement channels. On March 31, 2010, however, the FCC granted Sprint's request that it delay the March 31, 2010 deadline for one year until March 31, 2011 in 21 markets where public safety licensees have not yet moved off most of Sprint's replacement channels. On February 11, 2011, Sprint filed a similar request for relief for only 9 markets. On March 31, 2011, the FCC granted the request and extended the deadline for Sprint to relinquish 800 MHz spectrum in the 9 requested markets for one year until March 31, 2012.

Accordingly, we will continue to transition to our 800 MHz replacement channels consistent with public safety licensees' reconfiguration progress. We completed all of our 1.9 GHz incumbent relocation and reimbursement obligations in the second half of 2010.