
	General

The information contained in the following notes to the consolidated financial statements is condensed from that which would appear in the annual consolidated financial statements; accordingly, the consolidated financial statements included herein should be reviewed in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, and related notes thereto, included in the 2016 Form 10-K filed by Crown Castle International Corp. ("CCIC") with the SEC. References to the "Company" include CCIC and its predecessor, as applicable, and their subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated or the context indicates otherwise. As used herein, the term "including," and any variation thereof means "including without limitation." The use of the word "or" herein is not exclusive.

The Company owns, operates and leases shared wireless infrastructure that has been acquired or constructed over time and is geographically dispersed throughout the United States and Puerto Rico ("U.S."), including: (1) towers and other structures, such as rooftops (collectively, "towers"), and (2) fiber primarily supporting small cell networks (collectively, "small cells" and, together with towers, "wireless infrastructure").

The Company's core business is providing access, including space or capacity, to its shared wireless infrastructure via long-term contracts in various forms, including licenses, subleases and lease agreements.

The Company's operating segments consist of (1) Towers and (2) Small Cells. See note 10.

As part of the Company's effort to provide comprehensive wireless infrastructure solutions, the Company offers certain network services relating to its wireless infrastructure, consisting of (1) site development services relating to existing or new tenant equipment installations on its wireless infrastructure, including: site acquisition, architectural and engineering, or zoning and permitting and (2) tenant equipment installation or subsequent augmentations.

The Company operates as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In addition, the Company has certain taxable REIT subsidiaries ("TRSs"). See note 6.

Approximately 53% of the Company's towers are leased or subleased or operated and managed under master leases, subleases, and other agreements with AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. The Company has the option to purchase these towers at the end of their respective lease terms. The Company has no obligation to exercise such purchase options.

Basis of Presentation

The condensed consolidated financial statements included herein are unaudited; however, they include all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) which, in the opinion of management, are necessary to state fairly the consolidated financial position of the Company at March 31, 2017, and the consolidated results of operations and the consolidated cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016. The year-end condensed consolidated balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. The results of operations for the interim periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.