Income Taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes

Income (loss) before income taxes by geographic area is as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012		2011		2010
Domestic	$	77,254	$	168,804	$	(342,333	)
Foreign^(a)	23,573		11,003		4,228
	$	100,827	$	179,807	$	(338,105	)


(a)	Inclusive of income (loss) before income taxes from Australia and Puerto Rico.

Benefit (Provision) for Income Taxes

The benefit (provision) for income taxes consists of the following:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012			2011			2010
Current:
Federal	$	229		$	3,213		$	4,038
Foreign	(6,837		)	(3,377		)	(2,187		)
State	(3,705		)	(3,557		)	(1,201		)
Total current	(10,313		)	(3,721		)	650
Deferred:
Federal	65,643			1,054			30,770
Foreign	42,714			(694		)	(298		)
State	2,017			(4,986		)	(4,276		)
Total deferred	110,374			(4,626		)	26,196
Total tax benefit (provision)	$	100,061		$	(8,347	)	$	26,846

Effective Tax Rate

A reconciliation between the benefit (provision) for income taxes and the amount computed by applying the federal statutory income tax rate to the loss before income taxes is as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012			2011			2010
Benefit (provision) for income taxes at statutory rate	$	(35,289	)	$	(62,932	)	$	118,337
Tax effect of foreign income (losses)	8,251			3,851			1,480
Expenses for which no federal tax benefit was recognized	(3,874		)	(5,433		)	(3,657		)
Valuation allowances	95,072			61,921			(85,605		)
State tax (provision) benefit, net of federal	(1,097		)	(4,565		)	(3,560		)
Foreign tax	35,877			(4,071		)	(2,485		)
Change in unrecognized tax benefits	—			1,693			—
Other	1,121			1,189			2,336
	$	100,061		$	(8,347	)	$	26,846

Components of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities

The components of the net deferred income tax assets and liabilities are as follows:



	December 31,
	2012			2011
Deferred income tax liabilities:
Property and equipment	$	1,246,899		$	511,205
Deferred site rental receivable	340,113			238,203
Intangible assets	894,800			655,512
Total deferred income tax liabilities	2,481,812			1,404,920
Deferred income tax assets:
Net operating loss carryforwards	950,195			908,747
Deferred ground lease payable	121,752			109,948
Alternate minimum tax credit carryforward	3,566			3,591
Accrued liabilities	190,121			81,719
Receivables allowance	4,140			2,253
Prepaid lease	1,358,430			405,993
Derivative instruments	51,380			74,214
Available-for-sale securities	—			29,402
Capital loss carryforwards	29,402			—
Other	5,270			5,293
Valuation allowances	(70,940		)	(228,417		)
Total deferred income tax assets, net	2,643,316			1,392,743
Net deferred income tax asset (liabilities)	$	161,504		$	(12,177	)

Jurisdictional Components of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities

The components of the net deferred income tax assets (liabilities) are as follows:



	December 31, 2012								December 31, 2011
Classification	Gross		Valuation Allowance			Net			Gross		Valuation Allowance			Net
Federal	$	104,213	$	(29,402	)	$	74,811		$	33,103	$	(55,980	)	$	(22,877	)
State	35,474		(41,538		)	(6,064		)	45,813		(34,156		)	11,657
Foreign	41,377		—			41,377			63,110		(64,067		)	(957		)
Other comprehensive income (loss)	51,380		—			51,380			74,214		(74,214		)	—
Total	$	232,444	$	(70,940	)	$	161,504		$	216,240	$	(228,417	)	$	(12,177	)

Schedule of Unrecognized Tax Benefits Roll Forward

The aggregate changes in the balance of unrecognized tax benefits are as follows:



	Years Ended December 31,
	2012		2011
Balance at beginning of year	$	8,376	$	9,255
Additions based on current year tax positions	10,808		2,334
Reductions as a result of the lapse of statute limitations	—		(3,213		)
Balance at end of year	$	19,184	$	8,376