Investments (Notes)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

Real Estate Investments through Variable Interest Entities

In July 2018, the Company's build-to-suit lease arrangement with a single-asset special purpose entity ("SPE") to build a new Charter headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut obtained all approvals and was made effective. The SPE obtained a first-lien mortgage note to finance the construction with fixed monthly payments through July 15, 2035 with a 5.612% coupon interest rate. All payments of the mortgage note are guaranteed by Charter. The initial term of the lease is 15 years commencing August 1, 2020, with no termination options. At the end of the lease term there is a mirrored put option for the SPE to sell the property to Charter and call option for Charter to purchase the property for a fixed purchase price. As the Company has determined the SPE is a variable interest entity ("VIE") of which it became the primary beneficiary upon the effectiveness of the arrangement, the Company has consolidated the assets and liabilities of the SPE in its consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 as follows.



	September 30, 2019		December 31, 2018
Assets
Current assets	$	2	$	2
Restricted cash	$	89	$	214
Property, plant and equipment	$	266	$	130
Liabilities
Current liabilities	$	7	$	—
Other long-term liabilities	$	350	$	346

Property, plant and equipment includes land, a parking garage and building construction costs, including the capitalization of qualifying interest. As of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, other long-term liabilities include $341 million and $342 million, respectively, in VIE's mortgage note liability and $9 million and $4 million, respectively, in liability-classified noncontrolling interest recorded at amortized cost with accretion towards settlement of the put/call option in the lease. The consolidated statement of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 includes a decrease to restricted cash of $125 million primarily related to building construction costs. The consolidated statement of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 includes an increase to restricted cash of $48 million as a result of activity in the VIE including borrowings of $170 million by the VIE on the mortgage note liability offset by distributions by the VIE to the noncontrolling interest of $107 million for the contributed land and parking garage and $15 million incurred by the VIE for building construction costs.

Equity Investments

The Company recorded impairments on equity investments of approximately $121 million and $58 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively, which was recorded in other expense, net in the consolidated statements of operations.