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Segment Information
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting [Abstract]  
Segment Information
Segment Information
Segment Data
In connection with our acquisition of Level 3 (discussed further in Note 2—Acquisition of Level 3), effective November 1, 2017, we implemented a new organization structure and began managing our operations in two segments: business and consumer. Our consumer segment remains substantially unchanged under this reorganization, and our newly reorganized business segment includes the Legacy CenturyLink enterprise segment operations and the Legacy Level 3 operations. In addition, we reassigned our information technology, managed hosting, cloud hosting and hosting area network operations back into the business segment from the former non-reportable operating segment. At March 31, 2018, we had the following two reportable segments:
Business Segment. This segment consists generally of providing products and services to small, medium and enterprise business, wholesale and government customers, including other communication providers. Our products and services offered to these customers include our local and long-distance voice, VPN data network, private line (including business data services), Ethernet, information technology, wavelength, broadband, colocation and data center services, managed services, professional and other services provided in connection with selling equipment, network security and various other ancillary services, all of which are described further under "Products and Services Categories"; and
Consumer Segment. This segment consists generally of providing products and services to residential customers. Our products and services offered to these customers include our broadband, local and long-distance voice, video and other ancillary services.
The results of our two reportable segments, business and consumer, are summarized below:
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
2018

2017
 
(Dollars in millions)
Total reportable segment revenues
$
5,762

 
4,037

Total reportable segment expenses
3,226

 
2,206

Total reportable segment adjusted EBITDA
$
2,536

 
1,831

Total margin percentage
44
%
 
45
%
 
 
 
 
Business segment:
 
 
 
Revenues
$
4,383

 
2,590

Expenses
2,613

 
1,566

Adjusted EBITDA
$
1,770

 
1,024

Margin percentage
40
%
 
40
%
Consumer segment:
 
 
 
Revenues
$
1,379

 
1,447

Expenses
613

 
640

Adjusted EBITDA
$
766

 
807

Margin percentage
56
%
 
56
%

Product and Service Categories
We categorize our products, services and revenues among the following five categories:
IP and data services, which include primarily VPN data networks, Ethernet, IP, video (including our facilities-based video services and Vyvx broadcast services) and other ancillary services;
Transport and infrastructure, which include broadband, private line (including business data services), data center facilities and services, including cloud, hosting and application management solutions, wavelength, equipment sales and professional services, network security services and other ancillary services;
Voice and collaboration, which includes primarily local and long-distance voice, including wholesale voice, and other ancillary service;
IT and managed services, which include information technology services and managed services, which may be purchased in conjunction with our other network services; and
Regulatory revenues, which consists of Universal Service Fund ("USF") and Connect America Fund ("CAF") support payments and other operating revenues. We receive federal support payments from both federal and state USF programs and from the federal CAF program. The USF and CAF support payments are government subsidies designed to reimburse us for various costs related to certain telecommunications services. We generate other operating revenues from the leasing and subleasing of space in our office buildings, warehouses and other properties and from rental income associated with the failed-sale-leaseback. Because we centrally manage the activities that generate these regulatory revenues, these revenues are not included in our segment revenues.
Our operating revenue detail for our products and services consisted of the following categories:
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
2018
 
2017
 
(Dollars in millions)
Business segment
 
 
 
IP & Data Services (1)
$
1,748

 
744

Transport & Infrastructure (2)
1,362

 
906

Voice & Collaboration (3)
1,111

 
788

IT & Managed Services (4)
162

 
152

Total business segment revenues
4,383

 
2,590

 
 
 
 
Consumer segment
 
 
 
IP & Data Services (5)
97

 
120

Transport & Infrastructure (6)
756

 
701

Voice & Collaboration (3)
526

 
626

Total consumer segment revenues
1,379

 
1,447

 
 
 
 
Non-segment revenues
 
 
 
Regulatory revenues (7)
183

 
172

Total non-segment revenues
183

 
172

 
 
 
 
Total revenues
$
5,945

 
4,209

______________________________________________________________________ 
(1)
Includes primarily VPN data network, Ethernet, IP, video and ancillary revenues.
(2)
Includes primarily broadband, private line (including business data services), colocation and data centers, wavelength and ancillary revenues.
(3)
Includes local, long-distance and other ancillary revenues.
(4)
Includes IT services and managed services revenues.
(5)
Includes retail video revenues (including our facilities-based video revenues).
(6)
Includes primarily broadband and equipment sales and professional services revenues.
(7)
Includes CAF Phase I, CAF Phase 2, federal and state USF support revenue, sublease rental income and failed-sale leaseback income.

We recognize revenues in our consolidated statements of operations for certain USF surcharges and transaction taxes that we bill to our customers. Our consolidated statements of operations also reflect the offsetting expense for the amounts we remit to the government agencies. The total amount of such surcharges and transaction taxes that we included in revenues aggregated $246 million and $130 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. These USF surcharges, where we record revenue, and transaction taxes are assigned to the products and services categories of each segments based on the underlying revenues. We also act as a collection agent for certain other USF and transaction taxes that we are required by government agencies to bill our customers, for which we do not record any revenue or expense because we only act as a pass-through agent.
Allocations of Revenues and Expenses
Our segment revenues include all revenues from our business and consumer segments as described in more detail above. Our segment revenues are based upon each customer's classification. We report our segment revenues based upon all services provided to that segment's customers. Our segment expenses include specific expenses incurred as a direct result of providing services and products to segment customers, along with selling, general and administrative expenses that are (i) directly associated with specific segment customers or activities and (ii) allocated expenses, which include network expenses, facilities expenses and other expenses such as fleet and real estate expenses. We do not assign depreciation and amortization expense or impairments to our segments, as the related assets and capital expenditures are centrally managed and are not monitored by or reported to the chief operating decision maker ("CODM") by segment. Generally speaking, severance expenses, restructuring expenses and certain centrally managed administrative functions (such as finance, information technology, legal and human resources) are not assigned to our segments. Interest expense is also excluded from segment results because we manage our financing on a consolidated basis and have not allocated assets or debt to specific segments. Other income and expense items are not monitored as a part of our segment operations and are therefore excluded from our segment results.
The following table reconciles total reportable segment adjusted EBITDA to net income:
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
2018
 
2017
 
(Dollars in millions)
Total reportable segment adjusted EBITDA
$
2,536

 
1,831

Regulatory revenues
183

 
172

Depreciation and amortization
(1,283
)
 
(880
)
Other operating expenses
(686
)
 
(492
)
Total other expense, net
(514
)
 
(324
)
Income before income tax expense
236

 
307

Income tax expense
(121
)
 
(144
)
Net income
$
115

 
163