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Variable Interest Entities
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011
Notes To The Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Variable Interest Entities

10. Variable Interest Entities (VIEs)

 

From time to time, the FCC conducts auctions through which additional spectrum is made available for the provision of wireless services. U.S. Cellular, TDS' subsidiary, participated in spectrum auctions indirectly through its interests in Aquinas Wireless L.P. (“Aquinas Wireless”), King Street Wireless L.P. (“King Street Wireless”), Barat Wireless L.P. (“Barat Wireless”) and Carroll Wireless L.P. (“Carroll Wireless”), collectively, the “limited partnerships.Each limited partnership participated in and was awarded spectrum licenses in one of four separate spectrum auctions (FCC Auctions 78, 73, 66 and 58). Each limited partnership qualified as a “designated entity” and thereby was eligible for bidding credits with respect to licenses purchased in accordance with the rules defined by the FCC for each auction. In most cases, the bidding credits resulted in a 25% discount from the gross winning bid. 

Consolidated VIEs

 

As of June 30, 2011, TDS consolidates the following VIEs under GAAP:

 

  • Aquinas Wireless;
  • King Street Wireless and King Street Wireless, Inc., the general partner of King Street Wireless;
  • Barat Wireless and Barat Wireless, Inc., the general partner of Barat Wireless; and
  • Carroll Wireless and Carroll PCS, Inc., the general partner of Carroll Wireless.

 

TDS holds a variable interest in the entities listed above. It has made capital contributions and/or advances to these entities. The power to direct the activities of the VIEs that most significantly impact their economic performance is shared. Specifically, the general partner of each of these VIEs has the exclusive right to manage, operate and control the limited partnerships and make all decisions to carry on the business of the partnerships; however, the general partner of each partnership needs consent of the limited partner, a TDS subsidiary, to sell or lease certain licenses, to make certain large expenditures, admit other partners or liquidate the limited partnerships. Although the power to direct the activities of the VIEs is shared, TDS has a disproportionate level of exposure to the variability associated with the economic performance of the VIEs, indicating that TDS is the primary beneficiary of the VIEs in accordance with GAAP. Accordingly, these VIEs are consolidated. As of June 30, 2011, TDS' capital contributions and advances made to these VIEs totaled $568.9 million.

 

The following table presents the classification of the consolidated VIEs' assets and liabilities in TDS' Consolidated Balance Sheet.

 

  June 30, December 31,
 2011 2010
       
(Dollars in thousands)     
Assets     
 Cash$6,605 $1,673
 Other current assets 400  323
 Licenses 487,962  487,962
 Other assets and deferred charges 735  
 Property, plant and equipment 3,501  1,548
 Total assets$499,203 $491,506
       
Liabilities     
 Other current liabilities$265 $95
 Total liabilities$265 $95

Other Related Matters

 

TDS may agree to make additional capital contributions and/or advances to the VIEs discussed above and/or to their general partners to provide additional funding for the development of licenses granted in the various auctions. TDS may finance such amounts with a combination of cash on hand, borrowings under its revolving credit agreement and/or long-term debt. There is no assurance that TDS will be able to obtain additional financing on commercially reasonable terms or at all to provide such financial support.

 

These VIEs are in the process of developing long-term business plans. These entities were formed to participate in FCC auctions of wireless spectrum and to fund, establish, and provide wireless service with respect to any FCC licenses won in the auctions. As such, these entities have risks similar to those described in the “Risk Factors” in TDS' Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010.