Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Schedule of financing receivable, allowance for credit loss

The following table presents the activity of our allowance for credit losses by accounts receivable portfolio for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022:


	Business		Mass Markets	Total
	(Dollars in millions)
Beginning balance at January 1, 2021	$	109	82	191
Provision for expected losses	50		55	105
Write-offs charged against the allowance	(76)		(101)	(177)
Recoveries collected	13		6	19
Classified as assets held for sale(1)	(8)		(16)	(24)
Balance at December 31, 2021	$	88	26	114
Provision for expected losses	25		108	133
Write-offs charged against the allowance	(61)		(114)	(175)
Recoveries collected	10		6	16
Change in allowance in assets held for sale(2)	(5)		2	(3)
Balance at December 31, 2022	$	57	28	85
Provision for expected losses	35		65	100
Write-offs charged against the allowance	(62)		(65)	(127)
Recoveries collected	6		3	9

Balance at December 31, 2023	$	36	31	67

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(1)Represents the amounts classified as held for sale related to the divestitures of our Latin American and ILEC businesses on August 1, 2022 and October 3, 2022, respectively. See Note 2—Divestitures of the Latin American and ILEC Businesses and Planned Divestiture of the EMEA Business.

(2)Represents changes in amounts classified as held for sale related to the divestitures of our Latin American and ILEC businesses on August 1, 2022 and October 3, 2022, respectively, and the inclusion of a $5 million allowance for credit losses classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2022 related to the divestiture of the EMEA business. See Note 2—Divestitures of the Latin American, ILEC and EMEA Businesses.