Franchises, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Notes)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Franchises, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Franchise rights represent the value attributed to agreements or authorizations with local and state authorities that allow access to homes in cable service areas. For valuation purposes, they are defined as the future economic benefits of the right to solicit and service potential customers (customer marketing rights), and the right to deploy and market new services to potential customers (service marketing rights).

Management estimates the fair value of franchise rights at the date of acquisition and determines if the franchise has a finite life or an indefinite life. The Company has concluded that all of its franchises qualify for indefinite life treatment given that there are no legal, regulatory, contractual, competitive, economic or other factors which limit the period over which these rights will contribute to the Company's cash flows. The Company reassesses this determination periodically or whenever events or substantive changes in circumstances occur.

All franchises are tested for impairment annually or more frequently as warranted by events or changes in circumstances. Franchise assets are aggregated into essentially inseparable units of accounting to conduct valuations. The franchise units of accounting are geographical clustering of cable systems representing the highest and best use groupings if sold to market participants. The Company assesses qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that an indefinite lived intangible asset has been impaired. If, after this optional qualitative assessment, the Company determines that it is not more likely than not that an indefinite lived intangible asset has been impaired, then no further quantitative testing is necessary. In completing the qualitative impairment testing, the Company evaluates a multitude of factors that affect the fair value of its franchise assets. Examples of such factors include environmental and competitive changes within the Company's operating footprint, actual and projected operating performance, the consistency of its operating margins, equity and debt market trends, including changes in its market capitalization, and changes in its regulatory and political landscape, among other factors. The Company performed a qualitative assessment in 2023. After consideration of the qualitative factors in 2023, the Company concluded that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the franchise assets in each unit of accounting exceeds the carrying value of such assets and therefore did not perform a quantitative analysis at the assessment date. Periodically, the Company may elect to perform a quantitative analysis for impairment testing. If the Company elects or is required to perform a quantitative analysis to test its franchise assets for impairment, the estimated fair value of franchises is determined utilizing an income approach model based on the present value of the estimated discrete future cash flows attributable to each of the intangible assets identified assuming a discount rate.

The Company has determined that it has one reporting unit for purposes of the assessment of goodwill impairment. Goodwill is tested for impairment as of November 30 of each year, or more frequently as warranted by events or changes in circumstances. Accounting guidance also permits an optional qualitative assessment for goodwill to determine whether it is more likely than not that the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value. If, after this qualitative assessment, the Company determines that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount then no further quantitative testing would be necessary. A quantitative assessment is performed if the qualitative assessment results in a more likely than not determination or if a qualitative assessment is not performed. The quantitative assessment considers whether the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, in which case an impairment charge is recorded to the extent the reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value. As with the Company’s franchise impairment testing, in 2023 the Company elected to perform a qualitative goodwill impairment assessment, which incorporated consideration of the same qualitative factors relevant to the Company's franchise impairment testing. As a result of that assessment, the Company concluded that goodwill is not impaired.

Customer relationships are recorded at fair value as of the date acquired less accumulated amortization. Customer relationships are amortized on an accelerated sum of years’ digits method over useful lives of 8-15 years based on the period over which current customers are expected to generate cash flows. The Company periodically evaluates the remaining useful lives of its customer relationships to determine whether events or circumstances warrant revision to the remaining periods of amortization. Customer relationships are evaluated for impairment upon the occurrence of events or changes in circumstances indicating that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Customer relationships are deemed impaired when the carrying value exceeds the projected undiscounted future cash flows associated with the customer relationships. No impairment of customer relationships was recorded in the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 or 2021.

The Company owns approximately $464 million of Citizens Broadband Radio Service ("CBRS") priority access licenses. The wireless spectrum licenses are considered indefinite life intangible assets recorded in other noncurrent assets on the Company's consolidated balance sheets and payments (including deposits) are presented as an investing cash outflow on the Company’s statements of cash flows. The Company elected to perform a qualitative impairment assessment in 2023 and concluded that its CBRS priority access licenses are not impaired.

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, indefinite-lived and finite-lived intangible assets are presented in the following table:


	December 31,
	2023						2022
	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Net Carrying Amount		Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Net Carrying Amount
Indefinite-lived intangible assets:
Franchises	$	67,396	$	—	$	67,396	$	67,363	$	—	$	67,363
Goodwill	29,668		—		29,668		29,563		—		29,563
Wireless spectrum licenses	464		—		464		464		—		464
Trademarks	159		—		159		159		—		159
	$	97,687	$	—	$	97,687	$	97,549	$	—	$	97,549

Finite-lived intangible assets:
Customer relationships	$	18,268	$	(16,523)	$	1,745	$	18,250	$	(15,478)	$	2,772
Other intangible assets	450		(278)		172		440		(236)		204
	$	18,718	$	(16,801)	$	1,917	$	18,690	$	(15,714)	$	2,976

Amortization expense related to customer relationships and other intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 was $1.1 billion, $1.3 billion and $1.6 billion, respectively.

The Company expects amortization expense on its finite-lived intangible assets will be as follows.


2024	$	836
2025	587
2026	329
2027	99
2028	17
Thereafter	49
	$	1,917

Actual amortization expense in future periods could differ from these estimates as a result of new intangible asset acquisitions or divestitures, changes in useful lives, impairments, adoption of new accounting standards and other relevant factors.