Stock Compensation Plans (Notes)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Charter’s 2009 Stock Incentive Plan provides for grants of nonqualified stock options, incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, dividend equivalent rights, performance units and performance shares, share awards, phantom stock, restricted stock units and restricted stock. Directors, officers and other employees of the Company and its subsidiaries, as well as others performing consulting services for the Company, are eligible for grants under the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan.

Charter granted the following equity awards for the periods presented.



	Three Months Ended June 30,		Six Months Ended June 30,
	2018	2017	2018	2017
Stock options	36,700	42,600	1,466,500	1,145,200
Restricted stock	9,700	9,500	9,700	9,500
Restricted stock units	21,700	9,500	505,400	277,700

Charter stock options and restricted stock units generally cliff vest upon the three year anniversary of each grant. Certain stock options and restricted stock units vest based on achievement of stock price hurdles. Stock options generally expire ten years from the grant date and restricted stock units have no voting rights. Restricted stock generally vests one year from the date of grant. TWC restricted stock units that were converted into Charter restricted stock units generally vest 50% on each of the third and fourth anniversary of the grant date.

As of June 30, 2018, total unrecognized compensation remaining to be recognized in future periods totaled $271 million for stock options, $2 million for restricted stock and $260 million for restricted stock units and the weighted average period over which they are expected to be recognized is two years for stock options, one year for restricted stock and two years for restricted stock units.

The Company recorded $70 million and $142 million of stock compensation expense for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, respectively, and $65 million and $134 million or the three and six months ended and June 30, 2017, respectively, which is included in operating costs and expenses. The Company also recorded $5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018, and $20 million and $37 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, respectively, of expense related to accelerated vesting of equity awards of terminated employees, which is recorded in merger and restructuring costs.