Background	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Background	Background General We are an integrated facilities-based technology and communications company focused on providing our business and mass markets customers with a broad array of integrated communications products and services necessary to fully participate in our ever-evolving digital world. Our specific products and services are detailed in Note 3—Revenue Recognition of this report. We generate the majority of our total consolidated operating revenue 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. Basis of Presentation Our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2022, 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 note disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") have been condensed or omitted pursuant to rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). However, in our opinion, the disclosures made therein are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. We believe these consolidated financial statements include all normal recurring adjustments necessary to fairly present the results for the interim periods. The consolidated results of operations and cash flows for the first nine months of the year are not necessarily indicative of the consolidated results of operations and cash flows that might be expected for the entire year. These consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes 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, 2022. The accompanying consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our subsidiaries. Intercompany amounts and transactions with our consolidated subsidiaries have been eliminated. Transactions with our non-consolidated affiliates (Lumen Technologies and its other subsidiaries, referred to herein as affiliates) have not been eliminated. Operating lease assets are included in Other, net under goodwill and other assets on our consolidated balance sheets. Current operating lease liabilities are included in Other under accrued expenses and other liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets. Noncurrent operating lease liabilities are included in Other under deferred credits and other liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets. We reclassified certain prior period amounts to conform to the current period presentation, including our revenue by product and service categories. See Note 3—Revenue Recognition for additional information. These changes had no impact on total operating revenue, total operating expenses or net income for any period. Segments Our operations are integrated into and reported as part of Lumen Technologies. Lumen's chief operating decision maker ("CODM") is our CODM but reviews our financial information on an aggregate basis only in connection with our quarterly and annual reports that we file with the SEC. Consequently, we do not provide our discrete financial information to our CODM on a regular basis. As such, we have one reportable segment. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Refer to the significant accounting policies described in Note 1—Background and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in Part II Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements Supplier Finance Programs On January 1, 2023, we adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2022-04, “Liabilities-Supplier Finance Program (Subtopic 405-50): Disclosure of Supplier Finance Program Obligations” (“ASU 2022-04”). These amendments require that a company that uses a supplier finance program in connection with the purchase of goods or services disclose sufficient information about the program to allow a user of financial statements to understand the program’s nature, program activity during the period, changes from period to period and the potential magnitude of program transactions. The adoption of ASU 2022-04 did not have any impact to our consolidated financial statements. Credit Losses On January 1, 2023, we adopted ASU 2022-02, "Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Troubled Debt Restructurings (“TDR”) and Vintage Disclosures” (“ASU 2022-02”). The ASU eliminates the TDR recognition and measurement guidance, enhances existing disclosure requirements and introduces new requirements related to certain modifications of receivables made to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty. The adoption of ASU 2022-02 did not have any impact to our consolidated financial statements. Derivatives and Hedging On January 1, 2023, we adopted ASU 2022-01, “Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Fair Value Hedging-Portfolio Layer Method” ("ASU 2022-01"). The ASU expands the current single-layer method to allow multiple hedged layers of a single closed portfolio under the method. The adoption of ASU 2022-01 did not have any impact to our consolidated financial statements. Business Combinations On January 1, 2023, we adopted ASU 2021-08, “Business Combinations (Topic 805): Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers” (“ASU 2021-08”). This ASU requires entities to apply Topic 606 to recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities in a business combination. The adoption of ASU 2021-08 did not have any impact to our consolidated financial statements. Government Assistance On January 1, 2022, we adopted ASU 2021-10, "Government Assistance (Topic 832): Disclosures by Business Entities about Government Assistance” (“ASU 2021-10”). This ASU requires business entities to disclose information about certain types of government assistance they receive. The ASU only impacts annual financial statement note disclosures. The adoption of ASU 2021-10 did not have an impact to our consolidated financial statements. Leases On January 1, 2022, we adopted ASU 2021-05, "Leases (Topic 842): Lessors—Certain Leases with Variable Lease Payments” (“ASU 2021-05”). This ASU (i) amends the lease classification requirements for lessors to align them with practice under ASC Topic 840, (ii) provides criteria for lessors to classify and account for a lease with variable lease payments that do not depend on a reference index or a rate as an operating lease; and (iii) provides guidance with respect to net investments by lessors under operating leases and other related topics. The adoption of ASU 2021-05 did not have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements In October 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2023-06, “Disclosure Improvements: Codification Amendments in Response to the SEC’s Disclosure Update and Simplification Initiative” (“ASU 2023-06”). This ASU incorporates certain SEC disclosure requirements into the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“Codification”). The amendments in the ASU are expected to clarify or improve disclosure and presentation requirements of a variety of Codification Topics, allow users to more easily compare entities subject to the SEC’s existing disclosures with those entities that were not previously subject to the requirements, and align the requirements in the Codification with the SEC’s regulations. ASU 2023-06 will become effective for each amendment on the effective date of the SEC's corresponding disclosure rule changes. As of September 30, 2023, we do not expect ASU 2023-06 will have any impact to our consolidated financial statements. In August 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-05, “Business Combinations – Joint Venture Formations (Subtopic 805-60): Recognition and initial Measurement” (“ASU 2023-05”). This ASU applies to the formation of entities that meet the definition of a joint venture (or a corporate joint venture). The amendments in the ASU require that a joint venture apply a new basis of accounting upon formation. ASU 2023-05 will become effective for us in the first quarter of fiscal 2025 and early adoption is permitted. As of September 30, 2023, we do not expect ASU 2023-05 will have any impact to our consolidated financial statements. In August 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-04, “Liabilities (Topic 405): Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121” (“ASU 2023-04”). This ASU amends and adds various SEC paragraphs to the FASB Codification to reflect guidance regarding the accounting for obligations to safeguard crypto assets an entity holds for platform users. This ASU does not provide any new guidance. ASU 2023-04 will become effective for us once the addition to the FASB Codification is made available. As of September 30, 2023, we do not expect ASU 2023-04 will have any impact to our consolidated financial statements. In July 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-03, “Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205), Income Statement—Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220), Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (Topic 480), Equity (Topic 505), and Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 120, SEC Staff Announcement at the March 24, 2022 EITF Meeting, and Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 6.B, Accounting Series Release 280—General Revision of Regulation S-X: Income or Loss Applicable to Common Stock” (“ASU 2023-03”). This ASU amends or supersedes various SEC paragraphs within the applicable codification to conform to past SEC staff announcements. This ASU does not provide any new guidance. ASU 2023-03 will become effective for us once the addition to the FASB Codification is made available. As of September 30, 2023, we do not expect ASU 2023-03 will have any impact to our consolidated financial statements. In March 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-02, “Investments-Equity method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323): Accounting for Investments in Tax Credit Structures Using the Proportional Amortization Method” (“ASU 2023-02”). These amendments allow reporting entities to elect to account for qualifying tax equity investments using the proportional amortization method, regardless of the program giving rise to the related income tax credits. ASU 2023-02 will become effective for us in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 and early adoption is permitted. As of September 30, 2023, we do not expect ASU 2023-02 will have any impact to our consolidated financial statements. In March 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-01, “Leases (Topic 842): Common Control Arrangements” (“ASU 2023-01”). These amendments require all entities to amortize leasehold improvements associated with common control leases over the useful life to the common control group. ASU 2023-01 will become effective for us in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 and early adoption is permitted. As of September 30, 2023, we do not expect ASU 2023-01 will have any impact to our consolidated financial statements. In June 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-03, “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions” (“ASU 2022-03”). These amendments clarify that a contractual restriction on the sales of an investment in an equity security is not considered part of the unit of account of the equity security and, therefore, is not considered in measuring its fair value. ASU 2022-03 will become effective for us in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 and early adoption is permitted. As of September 30, 2023, we do not expect ASU 2022-03 will have any impact to our consolidated financial statements.

We are an integrated facilities-based technology and communications company focused on providing our business and mass markets customers with a broad array of integrated communications products and services necessary to fully participate in our ever-evolving digital world. Our specific products and services are detailed in Note 3—Revenue Recognition of this report.

We generate the majority of our total consolidated operating revenue 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, 2022, 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 note disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") have been condensed or omitted pursuant to rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). However, in our opinion, the disclosures made therein are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. We believe these consolidated financial statements include all normal recurring adjustments necessary to fairly present the results for the interim periods. The consolidated results of operations and cash flows for the first nine months of the year are not necessarily indicative of the consolidated results of operations and cash flows that might be expected for the entire year. These consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes 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, 2022.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our subsidiaries. Intercompany amounts and transactions with our consolidated subsidiaries have been eliminated. Transactions with our non-consolidated affiliates (Lumen Technologies and its other subsidiaries, referred to herein as affiliates) have not been eliminated.

Operating lease assets are included in Other, net under goodwill and other assets on our consolidated balance sheets. Current operating lease liabilities are included in Other under accrued expenses and other liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets. Noncurrent operating lease liabilities are included in Other under deferred credits and other liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets.

We reclassified certain prior period amounts to conform to the current period presentation, including our revenue by product and service categories. See Note 3—Revenue Recognition for additional information. These changes had no impact on total operating revenue, total operating expenses or net income for any period.

Our operations are integrated into and reported as part of Lumen Technologies. Lumen's chief operating decision maker ("CODM") is our CODM but reviews our financial information on an aggregate basis only in connection with our quarterly and annual reports that we file with the SEC. Consequently, we do not provide our discrete financial information to our CODM on a regular basis. As such, we have one reportable segment.

Refer to the significant accounting policies described in Note 1—Background and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in Part II Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

On January 1, 2023, we adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2022-04, “Liabilities-Supplier Finance Program (Subtopic 405-50): Disclosure of Supplier Finance Program Obligations” (“ASU 2022-04”). These amendments require that a company that uses a supplier finance program in connection with the purchase of goods or services disclose sufficient information about the program to allow a user of financial statements to understand the program’s nature, program activity during the period, changes from period to period and the potential magnitude of program transactions. The adoption of ASU 2022-04 did not have any impact to our consolidated financial statements.

On January 1, 2023, we adopted ASU 2022-02, "Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Troubled Debt Restructurings (“TDR”) and Vintage Disclosures” (“ASU 2022-02”). The ASU eliminates the TDR recognition and measurement guidance, enhances existing disclosure requirements and introduces new requirements related to certain modifications of receivables made to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty. The adoption of ASU 2022-02 did not have any impact to our consolidated financial statements.

On January 1, 2023, we adopted ASU 2022-01, “Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Fair Value Hedging-Portfolio Layer Method” ("ASU 2022-01"). The ASU expands the current single-layer method to allow multiple hedged layers of a single closed portfolio under the method. The adoption of ASU 2022-01 did not have any impact to our consolidated financial statements.

On January 1, 2023, we adopted ASU 2021-08, “Business Combinations (Topic 805): Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers” (“ASU 2021-08”). This ASU requires entities to apply Topic 606 to recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities in a business combination. The adoption of ASU 2021-08 did not have any impact to our consolidated financial statements.

On January 1, 2022, we adopted ASU 2021-10, "Government Assistance (Topic 832): Disclosures by Business Entities about Government Assistance” (“ASU 2021-10”). This ASU requires business entities to disclose information about certain types of government assistance they receive. The ASU only impacts annual financial statement note disclosures. The adoption of ASU 2021-10 did not have an impact to our consolidated financial statements.

On January 1, 2022, we adopted ASU 2021-05, "Leases (Topic 842): Lessors—Certain Leases with Variable Lease Payments” (“ASU 2021-05”). This ASU (i) amends the lease classification requirements for lessors to align them with practice under ASC Topic 840, (ii) provides criteria for lessors to classify and account for a lease with variable lease payments that do not depend on a reference index or a rate as an operating lease; and (iii) provides guidance with respect to net investments by lessors under operating leases and other related topics. The adoption of ASU 2021-05 did not have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In October 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2023-06, “Disclosure Improvements: Codification Amendments in Response to the SEC’s Disclosure Update and Simplification Initiative” (“ASU 2023-06”). This ASU incorporates certain SEC disclosure requirements into the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“Codification”). The amendments in the ASU are expected to clarify or improve disclosure and presentation requirements of a variety of Codification Topics, allow users to more easily compare entities subject to the SEC’s existing disclosures with those entities that were not previously subject to the requirements, and align the requirements in the Codification with the SEC’s regulations. ASU 2023-06 will become effective for each amendment on the effective date of the SEC's corresponding disclosure rule changes. As of September 30, 2023, we do not expect ASU 2023-06 will have any impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-05, “Business Combinations – Joint Venture Formations (Subtopic 805-60): Recognition and initial Measurement” (“ASU 2023-05”). This ASU applies to the formation of entities that meet the definition of a joint venture (or a corporate joint venture). The amendments in the ASU require that a joint venture apply a new basis of accounting upon formation. ASU 2023-05 will become effective for us in the first quarter of fiscal 2025 and early adoption is permitted. As of September 30, 2023, we do not expect ASU 2023-05 will have any impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-04, “Liabilities (Topic 405): Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121” (“ASU 2023-04”). This ASU amends and adds various SEC paragraphs to the FASB Codification to reflect guidance regarding the accounting for obligations to safeguard crypto assets an entity holds for platform users. This ASU does not provide any new guidance. ASU 2023-04 will become effective for us once the addition to the FASB Codification is made available. As of September 30, 2023, we do not expect ASU 2023-04 will have any impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In July 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-03, “Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205), Income Statement—Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220), Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (Topic 480), Equity (Topic 505), and Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 120, SEC Staff Announcement at the March 24, 2022 EITF Meeting, and Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 6.B, Accounting Series Release 280—General Revision of Regulation S-X: Income or Loss Applicable to Common Stock” (“ASU 2023-03”). This ASU amends or supersedes various SEC paragraphs within the applicable codification to conform to past SEC staff announcements. This ASU does not provide any new guidance. ASU 2023-03 will become effective for us once the addition to the FASB Codification is made available. As of September 30, 2023, we do not expect ASU 2023-03 will have any impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In March 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-02, “Investments-Equity method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323): Accounting for Investments in Tax Credit Structures Using the Proportional Amortization Method” (“ASU 2023-02”). These amendments allow reporting entities to elect to account for qualifying tax equity investments using the proportional amortization method, regardless of the program giving rise to the related income tax credits. ASU 2023-02 will become effective for us in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 and early adoption is permitted. As of September 30, 2023, we do not expect ASU 2023-02 will have any impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In March 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-01, “Leases (Topic 842): Common Control Arrangements” (“ASU 2023-01”). These amendments require all entities to amortize leasehold improvements associated with common control leases over the useful life to the common control group. ASU 2023-01 will become effective for us in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 and early adoption is permitted. As of September 30, 2023, we do not expect ASU 2023-01 will have any impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In June 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-03, “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions” (“ASU 2022-03”). These amendments clarify that a contractual restriction on the sales of an investment in an equity security is not considered part of the unit of account of the equity security and, therefore, is not considered in measuring its fair value. ASU 2022-03 will become effective for us in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 and early adoption is permitted. As of September 30, 2023, we do not expect ASU 2022-03 will have any impact to our consolidated financial statements.