Operating Segments

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2016

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segment Reporting Disclosure [Text Block]

During the first quarter of 2016, the Company changed its operating segments to consist of (1) towers and (2) small cells. This change was as a result of growth in small cells from a combination of organic growth, capital expenditures, and acquisitions, as well as the continued progression of the integration of Quanta Fiber Networks, Inc. ("Sunesys"), which led to changes in how the Company's chief operating decision maker ("CODM") reviews financial information.

The Company's operating segment change aligns with how the CODM views and evaluates the Company's operations, including how the CODM allocates capital and assesses segment performance. The Company has recast its prior period presentation to conform to its current reporting presentation.

The towers segment provides access, including space or capacity, to the Company's approximately 40,000 towers geographically dispersed throughout the United States. The tower segment also reflects certain network services relating to the Company's towers, consisting of site development services and installation services. The small cells segment provides access, including space or capacity, to the Company's small cell networks designed to facilitate wireless connectivity and supported by 17,000 miles of fiber. To a lesser extent, the small cells segment offers other fiber based solutions, including dark fiber (dedicated fiber strands lit by the customer) and lit fiber (bandwidth provided to the customer using the Company's own optronics).

The measurement of profit or loss used by the CODM to evaluate the results of operations of its operating segments are (1) segment site rental gross margin, (2) segment network services and other gross margin, and (3) segment operating profit. The Company defines segment site rental gross margin as segment site rental revenues less segment site rental cost of operations, which excludes stock-based compensation expense and prepaid lease purchase price adjustments recorded in consolidated cost of operations. The Company defines segment network services and other gross margin as segment network services and other revenues less segment network services and other cost of operations, which excludes stock-based compensation expense recorded in consolidated cost of operations. The Company defines segment operating profit as segment site rental gross margin plus segment network services and other gross margin, less general and administrative expenses attributable to the respective segment.

Costs that are directly attributable to towers and small cells are assigned to those respective segments. The "Other" column (1) represents amounts excluded from specific segments, such as restructuring charges (credits), asset write-down charges, acquisition and integration costs, depreciation, amortization and accretion, amortization of prepaid lease purchase price adjustments, interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs, gains (losses) on retirement of long-term obligations, net gain (loss) on interest rate swaps, gains (losses) on foreign currency swaps, impairment of available-for-sale securities, interest income, other income (expense), cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle, income (loss) from discontinued operations, and stock-based compensation expense, and (2) reconciles segment operating profit to income (loss) before income taxes, as the amounts are not utilized in assessing each segment’s performance. The "Other" total assets balance includes corporate assets such as cash and cash equivalents which have not been allocated to specific segments. There are no significant revenues resulting from transactions between the Company's operating segments.

	Three Months Ended June 30, 2016									Three Months Ended June 30, 2015
	Towers		Small Cells		Other			Consolidated Total		Towers		Small Cells		Other			Consolidated Total
Segment site rental revenues	$	705,716	$	98,884				$	804,600	$	678,306	$	58,785				$	737,091
Segment network services and other revenues	142,053		15,756					157,809		150,732		11,614					162,346
Segment revenues	847,769		114,640					962,409		829,038		70,399					899,437
Segment site rental cost of operations	210,444		34,165					244,609		207,037		22,856					229,893
Segment network services and other cost of operations	81,922		12,423					94,345		77,671		10,367					88,038
Segment cost of operations (a)	292,366		46,588					338,954		284,708		33,223					317,931
Segment site rental gross margin	495,272		64,719					559,991		471,269		35,929					507,198
Segment network services and other gross margin	60,131		3,333					63,464		73,061		1,247					74,308
Segment general and administrative expenses (a)	22,505		15,718		35,563			73,786		22,529		7,910		30,141			60,580
Segment operating profit	532,898		52,334		(35,563		)	549,669		521,801		29,266		(30,141		)	520,926
Stock-based compensation expense					$	21,998		21,998						$	15,975		15,975
Depreciation, amortization and accretion					276,026			276,026						253,153			253,153
Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs					129,362			129,362						134,466			134,466
Other income (expenses) to reconcile to income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes					32,341			32,341						(45,050		)	(45,050		)
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes								$	89,942								$	162,382
Capital expenditures	$	104,180	$	87,450	$	7,878		$	199,508	$	157,938	$	55,289	$	6,003		$	219,230
Total assets (at period end)	$	18,479,117	$	3,199,577	$	474,380		$	22,153,074	$	17,982,322	$	2,302,664	$	618,586		$	20,903,572

(a) Segment cost of operations exclude (1) stock-based compensation expense of $4.4 million and $3.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively, and (2) prepaid lease purchase price adjustments of $5.4 million and $5.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Segment general and administrative expenses exclude stock-based compensation expense of $17.6 million and $12.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

	Six Months Ended June 30, 2016									Six Months Ended June 30, 2015
	Towers		Small Cells		Other			Consolidated Total		Towers		Small Cells		Other			Consolidated Total
Segment site rental revenues	$	1,408,555	$	195,338				$	1,603,893	$	1,353,213	$	115,258				$	1,468,471
Segment network services and other revenues	267,063		25,836					292,899		307,117		24,320					331,437
Segment revenues	1,675,618		221,174					1,896,792		1,660,330		139,578					1,799,908
Segment site rental cost of operations	415,009		71,648					486,657		411,670		43,369					455,039
Segment network services and other cost of operations	151,911		20,458					172,369		153,862		19,821					173,683
Segment cost of operations (a)	566,920		92,106					659,026		565,532		63,190					628,722
Segment site rental gross margin	993,546		123,690					1,117,236		941,543		71,889					1,013,432
Segment network services and other gross margin	115,152		5,378					120,530		153,255		4,499					157,754
Segment general and administrative expenses (a)	46,104		31,240		71,635			148,979		45,251		15,470		60,240			120,961
Segment operating profit	1,062,594		97,828		(71,635		)	1,088,787		1,049,547		60,918		(60,240		)	1,050,225
Stock-based compensation expense					$	52,703		52,703						$	32,816		32,816
Depreciation, amortization and accretion					553,901			553,901						504,959			504,959
Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs					255,740			255,740						268,905			268,905
Other income (expenses) to reconcile to income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes					84,789			84,789						(29,136		)	(29,136		)
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes								$	141,654								$	272,681
Capital expenditures	$	215,221	$	167,603	$	10,173		$	392,997	$	291,071	$	118,192	$	11,620		$	420,883

(a) Segment cost of operations exclude (1) stock-based compensation expense of $12.7 million and $6.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively, and (2) prepaid lease purchase price adjustments of $10.6 million and $10.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Segment general and administrative expenses exclude stock-based compensation expense of $40.0 million and $26.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.