XML 21 R9.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.8.0.1
Recent Accounting Literature
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2018
Recent Accounting Literature [Abstract]  
Recent Accounting Literature



(2)    Recent Accounting Literature:



Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements



Revenue Recognition

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers.” This standard, along with its related amendments, requires companies to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which they expect to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. Frontier adopted the standard during the first quarter of 2018, using the modified retrospective method – i.e., by recognizing the cumulative effect of initially applying Accounting Standards Codification Topic (ASC) 606 as an adjustment to the opening balance of shareholders’ equity at January 1, 2018. The comparative information for historical periods has not been adjusted and continues to be reported under ASC 605. See Note 3 for additional details and disclosures.



Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost

Effective January 1, 2018, we adopted FASB ASU No. 2017-07, “Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost.” This standard was established to improve the presentation of net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit cost by requiring that an employer disaggregate the service cost component of periodic benefit cost from the other components of net benefit cost. The amendments in the update also provide explicit guidance on how to present the service cost component and other components of net benefit cost in the income statement and allow only the service cost components of net benefit cost to be eligible for capitalization. For adoption, Frontier retrospectively applied changes to our presentation of pension settlement costs and certain other benefit costs.



The following table summarizes the impacts of adopting ASU No. 2017-07. 







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 



 

For the three months ended March 31, 2017

 



 

 

 

Impact of adoption

 

 

 

($ in millions)

 

As Reported

 

of ASU 2017-07

 

As Restated

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Network related expenses

 

$

494 

 

$

(1)

 

$

493 

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

$

544 

 

$

(2)

 

$

542 

 

Pension settlement costs

 

$

43 

 

$

(43)

 

$

 -

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-operating income/expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investment and other income, net

 

$

 

$

(3)

 

$

 -

 

Pension settlement costs

 

$

 -

 

$

43 

 

$

43 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 











Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted



Leases

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016 – 02, “Leases (Topic 842).” This standard establishes the principles to report transparent and economically neutral information about the assets and liabilities that arise from leases. Upon implementation, lessees will need to recognize almost all leases on their balance sheet as a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. It will be critical to identify leases embedded in a contract to avoid misstating the lessee’s balance sheet. For income statement purposes, the FASB retained a dual model, requiring leases to be classified as either operating or finance. Classification will be based on criteria that are largely similar to those applied in current lease accounting, but without explicit bright lines. Lessor accounting is similar to the current model but updated to align with certain changes to the lessee model and the new revenue recognition standard. Existing sale-leaseback guidance, including guidance for real estate, is replaced with a new model applicable to both lessees and lessors. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years using modified retrospective application. Early application is permitted.  Frontier is in the initial stages of evaluating the potential impact this new standard may have on the consolidated financial statements.



Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

In February 2018, FASB issued ASU 2018-02, which allows for the reclassification of certain income tax effects related to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) between “Accumulated other comprehensive income” and “Retained earnings.” This ASU relates to the requirement that adjustments to deferred tax liabilities and assets related to a change in tax laws or rates to be included in “Income from continuing operations,” even in situations where the related items were originally recognized in “Other comprehensive income” (rather than in “Income from continuing operations”). The amendments in this ASU are effective for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. Adoption of this ASU is to be applied either in the period of adoption or retrospectively to each period in which the effect of the change in the tax laws or rates were recognized. We are still evaluating certain aspects of this ASU as well as the related impacts it may have on our financial statements.