Acquisitions

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2015

Acquisitions [Abstract]

Acquisitions

5.ACQUISITIONS

The Company acquired 225 communication sites during the three months ended September 30, 2015.These acquisitions were not significant to the Company and, accordingly, a preliminary estimate of the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed has not been presented. The Company evaluates all acquisitions after the applicable closing date of each transaction to determine whether any additional adjustments are needed to the allocation of the purchase price paid for the assets acquired and liabilities assumed by major balance sheet caption, as well as the separate recognition of intangible assets from goodwill if certain criteria are met.

The following table summarizes all of the Company’s cash acquisition capital expenditures:

	For the three months				For the nine months
	ended September 30,				ended September 30,
	2015		2014		2015		2014
	(in thousands)
Towers and related intangible assets	$	76,475	$	71,688	$	358,675	$	1,019,733
Land buyouts (1)		9,154		9,586		50,036		29,015
Total cash acquisition capital expenditures	$	85,629	$	81,274	$	408,711	$	1,048,748

(1) In addition, the Company paid $4.0 million and $2.7 million for ground lease extensions and term easements on land underlying the Company’s towers during the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and paid $12.7 million and $7.8 million for ground lease extensions and term easements on land underlying the Company’s towers during the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The Company recorded these amounts in prepaid rent on its Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Subsequent to September 30, 2015, the Company acquired 24 towers for $19.8 million in cash.