Basis of Presentation	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation General We are an integrated communications company engaged primarily in providing an array of communications services to our residential, business, governmental and wholesale customers. Our communications services include local, broadband, private line (including special access), network access, Ethernet, information technology, wireless and video services. In certain local and regional markets, we also provide local access and fiber transport services to competitive local exchange carriers. We generate the majority of our revenues from services provided in the 14-state region of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. We refer to this region as our local service area. Our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2013, which was derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, and our unaudited interim consolidated financial statements provided herein have been prepared in accordance with the instructions for Form 10-Q. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted pursuant to rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"); however, in our opinion, the disclosures made are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. We believe that these consolidated financial statements include all normal recurring adjustments necessary to fairly present the results for the interim periods. The consolidated results of operations for the first six months of the year are not necessarily indicative of the consolidated results of operations that might be expected for the entire year. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. The accompanying consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our subsidiaries over which we exercise control. All intercompany amounts and transactions with our consolidated subsidiaries have been eliminated. Transactions with our non-consolidated affiliates have not been eliminated. During the second quarter of 2014, we began negotiations of a sale-leaseback transaction of an office building and as a result of the indicated offer price we recorded an impairment charge of $16 million, which is included in selling, general and administrative expense in our consolidated statements of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014. We evaluated the indicated offer price using market conditions and determined that it represented a level 3 estimate of the fair value of the building. The negotiations on the sale of the office building are not final and the sales price could still change. Change in Estimates As a result of our annual reviews to evaluate the reasonableness of the depreciable lives for our property, plant and equipment, effective January 2014, we changed the estimates of the remaining economic lives of certain switch and circuit network equipment. These changes resulted in a net increase in depreciation expense of approximately $5 million and $10 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, respectively, and are expected to result in a net increase in depreciation expense of approximately $20 million for the year ending December 31, 2014. This net increase in depreciation expense, net of tax, reduced consolidated net income by approximately $3 million and $6 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, respectively, and is expected to reduce consolidated net income by approximately $12 million for the year ending December 31, 2014. Recent Accounting Pronouncements On May 28, 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (“ASU 2014-09” or “new standard”). The new standard is effective for annual and interim periods beginning January 1, 2017, and early adoption is prohibited. ASU 2014-09 may be adopted by applying the provisions of the new standard on a retrospective basis to the periods included in the financial statements or on a modified retrospective basis which would result in the recognition of a cumulative effect of adopting ASU 2014-09 in the first quarter of 2017. We have not yet decided which implementation method we will adopt. The new standard replaces virtually all existing generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) on revenue recognition and replaces them with a principles-based approach for determining revenue recognition using a new five step model. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 also includes new accounting principles related to the deferral and amortization of contract acquisition and fulfillment costs. We currently do not defer any contract acquisition costs and defer contract fulfillment costs only up to the extent of any revenue deferred. We are studying the new standard and starting to evaluate and determine the impact the new standard will have on the timing of revenue recognition under our customer agreements and the amount of contract related costs that will be deferred. We cannot, however, provide any estimate of the impact of adopting the new standard at this time.

Basis of Presentation

General

We are an integrated communications company engaged primarily in providing an array of communications services to our residential, business, governmental and wholesale customers. Our communications services include local, broadband, private line (including special access), network access, Ethernet, information technology, wireless and video services. In certain local and regional markets, we also provide local access and fiber transport services to competitive local exchange carriers.

We generate the majority of our revenues from services provided in the 14-state region of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. We refer to this region as our local service area.

Our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2013, which was derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, and our unaudited interim consolidated financial statements provided herein have been prepared in accordance with the instructions for Form 10-Q. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted pursuant to rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"); however, in our opinion, the disclosures made are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. We believe that these consolidated financial statements include all normal recurring adjustments necessary to fairly present the results for the interim periods. The consolidated results of operations for the first six months of the year are not necessarily indicative of the consolidated results of operations that might be expected for the entire year. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our subsidiaries over which we exercise control. All intercompany amounts and transactions with our consolidated subsidiaries have been eliminated. Transactions with our non-consolidated affiliates have not been eliminated.

During the second quarter of 2014, we began negotiations of a sale-leaseback transaction of an office building and as a result of the indicated offer price we recorded an impairment charge of $16 million, which is included in selling, general and administrative expense in our consolidated statements of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014. We evaluated the indicated offer price using market conditions and determined that it represented a level 3 estimate of the fair value of the building. The negotiations on the sale of the office building are not final and the sales price could still change.

Change in Estimates

As a result of our annual reviews to evaluate the reasonableness of the depreciable lives for our property, plant and equipment, effective January 2014, we changed the estimates of the remaining economic lives of certain switch and circuit network equipment. These changes resulted in a net increase in depreciation expense of approximately $5 million and $10 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, respectively, and are expected to result in a net increase in depreciation expense of approximately $20 million for the year ending December 31, 2014. This net increase in depreciation expense, net of tax, reduced consolidated net income by approximately $3 million and $6 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, respectively, and is expected to reduce consolidated net income by approximately $12 million for the year ending December 31, 2014.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

On May 28, 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (“ASU 2014-09” or “new standard”). The new standard is effective for annual and interim periods beginning January 1, 2017, and early adoption is prohibited. ASU 2014-09 may be adopted by applying the provisions of the new standard on a retrospective basis to the periods included in the financial statements or on a modified retrospective basis which would result in the recognition of a cumulative effect of adopting ASU 2014-09 in the first quarter of 2017. We have not yet decided which implementation method we will adopt.

The new standard replaces virtually all existing generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) on revenue recognition and replaces them with a principles-based approach for determining revenue recognition using a new five step model. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 also includes new accounting principles related to the deferral and amortization of contract acquisition and fulfillment costs. We currently do not defer any contract acquisition costs and defer contract fulfillment costs only up to the extent of any revenue deferred.

We are studying the new standard and starting to evaluate and determine the impact the new standard will have on the timing of revenue recognition under our customer agreements and the amount of contract related costs that will be deferred. We cannot, however, provide any estimate of the impact of adopting the new standard at this time.