Revenue from Contracts with Customers

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

Our Broadband segment provides broadband data, video and voice services to residential and commercial customers in portions of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, via fiber optic, hybrid fiber coaxial cable, and fixed wireless networks. The Broadband segment also provides voice and DSL telephone services to customers in Virginia’s Shenandoah County and portions of adjacent counties as a Rural Local Exchange Carrier (“RLEC”).

These contracts are generally cancellable at the customer’s discretion without penalty at any time. We allocate the total transaction price in these transactions based upon the standalone selling price of each distinct good or service. We generally recognize these revenues over time as customers simultaneously receive and consume the benefits of the service, with the exception of equipment sales and home wiring, which are recognized as revenue at a point in time when control transfers and when installation is complete, respectively. Installation fees, charged upfront without transfer of commensurate goods or services to the customer, are allocated to services and are recognized ratably over the longer of the contract term or the period in which the unrecognized fee remains material to the contract, which we estimate to be about one year. Additionally, the Company incurs commission and installation costs related to in-house and third-party vendors which are capitalized and amortized over the expected weighted average customer life which is approximately five years.

Our Broadband segment also provides Ethernet and Wavelength fiber optic services to commercial fiber customers under capacity agreements, and the related revenue is recognized over time. In some cases, non-refundable upfront fees are charged for connecting commercial fiber customers to our fiber network. Those amounts are recognized ratably over the longer of the contract term or the period in which the unrecognized fee remains material to the respective contract. A related contract liability of $2.8 million was recognized at December 31, 2020, which we expect to recognize into revenue at the rate of approximately $0.8 million per year.

The Broadband segment also leases dedicated fiber optic strands to customers as part of “dark fiber” agreements, which are accounted for as leases under ASC 842.

Our Tower segment leases space on owned cell towers to our Wireless and Broadband segments, and to other wireless carriers. Revenue from these leases is accounted for under ASC 842.

Refer to Note 15, Segment Reporting, for a summary of these revenue streams.

Below is a summary of the Broadband segment's capitalized contract acquisition and fulfillment costs:

(in thousands)	2020		2019
Beginning Balance	$	11,005	$	10,091
Contract payments	8,154		6,518
Contract amortization	(4,490)		(5,604)
Ending Balance	$	14,669	$	11,005