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Income Taxes (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2011
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] |
Income taxes receivable |
December 31, | 2011 |  | 2010
(Dollars in thousands) |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Federal income taxes receivable | $ | 73,525 |  |  | $ | 39,656 |
| State income taxes receivable |  | 1,266 |  |  |  | 1,741 |
| $ | 74,791 |  |  | $ | 41,397 |
Income tax expense |
Year Ended December 31, | 2011 |  | 2010 |  | 2009
(Dollars in thousands) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Current |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Federal | $ | (90,235 | ) |  | $ | 19,290 |  |  | $ | 69,942 |
| State |  | 1,049 |  |  |  | (11,059 | ) |  |  | 648 |
Deferred |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Federal |  | 187,581 |  |  |  | 57,759 |  |  |  | 41,884 |
| State |  | 15,683 |  |  |  | 15,968 |  |  |  | 5,376 |
|  | $ | 114,078 |  |  | $ | 81,958 |  |  | $ | 117,850 |
Income tax reconciliation |
Year Ended December 31, | 2011 |  | 2010 |  | 2009
|  | Amount |  | Rate |  | Amount |  | Rate |  | Amount |  | Rate
(Dollars in millions) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Statutory federal income tax expense and rate | $ | 109.5 |  |  | 35.0 | % |  | $ | 84.4 |  |  | 35.0 | % |  | $ | 122.2 |  |  | 35.0 | %
State income taxes, net of federal benefit (1) |  | 5.2 |  |  | 1.7 |  |  |  | 5.0 |  |  | 2.1 |  |  |  | 0.1 |  |  | 0.1 |
Effect of noncontrolling interests |  | (4.9 | ) |  | (1.6 | ) |  |  | (4.6 | ) |  | (1.9 | ) |  |  | (4.8 | ) |  | (1.4 | )
Correction of deferred taxes (2) |  | 5.4 |  |  | 1.7 |  |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Other differences, net |  | (1.1 | ) |  | (0.3 | ) |  |  | (2.8 | ) |  | (1.2 | ) |  |  | 0.4 |  |  | 0.1 |
Effective income tax expense and rate | $ | 114.1 |  |  | 36.5 | % |  | $ | 82.0 |  |  | 34.0 | % |  | $ | 117.9 |  |  | 33.8 | %
Net state income taxes include changes in the valuation allowance. These changes primarily relate to the ability to utilize state net operating losses as a result of state income tax law changes. U.S. Cellular recorded an immaterial adjustment to correct deferred tax balances related to a difference in the tax basis of certain partnership investments for errors occurring prior to 2009.
Temporary income tax differences |
December 31, | 2011 |  | 2010
(Dollars in thousands) |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Noncurrent deferred tax assets |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Net operating loss ("NOL") carryforwards | $ | 48,565 |  |  | $ | 33,724 |
| Stock-based compensation |  | 19,079 |  |  |  | 17,204 |
| Other |  | 36,195 |  |  |  | 38,998 |
|  |  | 103,839 |  |  |  | 89,926 |
| Less valuation allowance |  | (29,262 | ) |  |  | (28,252 | )
| Total noncurrent deferred tax assets |  | 74,577 |  |  |  | 61,674 |
Noncurrent deferred tax liabilities |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Property, plant and equipment |  | 482,433 |  |  |  | 323,334 |
| Licenses/intangibles |  | 267,344 |  |  |  | 246,599 |
| Partnership investments |  | 120,941 |  |  |  | 71,566 |
| Other |  | 3,049 |  |  |  | 3,619 |
| Total noncurrent deferred tax liabilities |  | 873,767 |  |  |  | 645,118 |
Net noncurrent deferred income tax liability | $ | 799,190 |  |  | $ | 583,444 |
Income tax unrecognized benefits summary |
|  | 2011 |  | 2010 |  | 2009
(Dollars in thousands) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Unrecognized tax benefits balance at January 1, | $ | 32,547 |  |  | $ | 34,442 |  |  | $ | 27,786 |
| Additions for tax positions of current year |  | 4,487 |  |  |  | 5,119 |  |  |  | 4,966 |
| Additions for tax positions of prior years |  | 332 |  |  |  | 550 |  |  |  | 3,114 |
| Reductions for tax positions of prior years |  | (1,104 | ) |  |  | (1,560 | ) |  |  | (1,399 | )
| Reductions for settlements of tax positions |  | (244 | ) |  |  | (5,938 | ) |  |  | — |
| Reductions for lapses in statutes of limitations |  | (7,273 | ) |  |  | (66 | ) |  |  | (25 | )
Unrecognized tax benefits balance at December 31, | $ | 28,745 |  |  | $ | 32,547 |  |  | $ | 34,442 |
Deferred tax valuation allowance |
|  | 2011 (1) |  | 2010 |  | 2009
(Dollars in thousands) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Balance at January 1 |  | $ | 29,891 |  |  | $ | 19,234 |  |  | $ | 23,565 |
Charged to costs and expenses |  |  | (1,450 | ) |  |  | (832 | ) |  |  | (10,348 | )
Charged to other accounts |  |  | 1,820 |  |  |  | 11,489 |  |  |  | 6,017 |
Balance at December 31, |  | $ | 30,261 |  |  | $ | 29,891 |  |  | $ | 19,234 |

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- Definition Tabular disclosure of tax positions taken in the tax returns filed or to be filed for which it is more likely than not that the tax position will not be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities (i.e., uncertain tax positions) and other types of income tax contingencies, including: (1) the policy on classification of interest and penalties; (2) a tabular reconciliation of the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits at the beginning and end of the period; the total amount(s) of: (3) unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate, and (4) interest and penalties recognized in each of the income statement and balance sheet; (5) for positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts unrecognized will significantly change within 12 months of the reporting date the: (i) nature of the uncertainty, (ii) nature of the event that could occur that would cause the change, and (iii) an estimate of the range of the reasonably possible change or a statement that an estimate of the range cannot be made; and (6) a description of tax years that remain subject to examination by major tax jurisdictions. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name FASB Interpretation (FIN) -Number 48 -Paragraph 21 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 15 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32718-109319 + Details
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