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Acquisitions, Divestitures and Exchanges
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2014
Disclosure Text Block  
Acquisitions, Divestitures and Exchanges

5. Acquisitions, Divestitures and Exchanges

 

Divestiture Transaction

On November 6, 2012, U.S. Cellular entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement with subsidiaries of Sprint Corp., fka Sprint Nextel Corporation (“Sprint”). Pursuant to the Purchase and Sale Agreement, on May 16, 2013, U.S. Cellular transferred customers and certain PCS license spectrum to Sprint in U.S. Cellular's Chicago, central Illinois, St. Louis and certain Indiana/Michigan/Ohio markets (“Divestiture Markets”) in consideration for $480 million in cash. The Purchase and Sale Agreement also contemplated certain other agreements, together with the Purchase and Sale Agreement collectively referred to as the “Divestiture Transaction.”

 

Pursuant to the Purchase and Sale Agreement, U.S. Cellular and Sprint also entered into certain other agreements, including customer and network transition services agreements, which require U.S. Cellular to provide customer, billing and network services to Sprint for a period of up to 24 months after the May 16, 2013 closing date. Sprint will reimburse U.S. Cellular for providing such services at an amount equal to U.S. Cellular's estimated costs, including applicable overhead allocations. These services were substantially complete as of March 31, 2014. In addition, these agreements require Sprint to reimburse U.S. Cellular up to $200 million (the “Sprint Cost Reimbursement”) for certain network decommissioning costs, network site lease rent and termination costs, network access termination costs, and employee termination benefits for specified engineering employees. It is estimated that up to $175 million of the Sprint Cost Reimbursement will be recorded in (Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net and up to $25 million of the Sprint Cost Reimbursement will be recorded in System operations in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. For the six months ended June 30, 2014, $34.1 million of the Sprint Cost Reimbursement had been received and recorded in Cash received from divestitures in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows.

 

Financial impacts of the Divestiture Transaction are classified in the Consolidated Statement of Operations within Operating income. The table below describes the amounts U.S. Cellular has recognized and expects to recognize in the Consolidated Statement of Operations between the date the Purchase and Sale Agreement was signed and the end of the transition services period.

                          
(Dollars in thousands)Expected Period of Recognition Projected Range Cumulative Amount Recognized as of June 30, 2014 Actual Amount Recognized Six Months Ended June 30, 2014 Actual Amount Recognized Six Months Ended June 30, 2013 Actual Amount Recognized Three Months Ended June 30, 2014 Actual Amount Recognized Three Months Ended June 30, 2013
(Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net                       
 Proceeds from Sprint                        
  Purchase price 2013 $ (480,000) $ (480,000) $ (480,000) $ - $ (480,000) $ - $ (480,000)
  Sprint Cost Reimbursement 2013-2015   (120,000)   (175,000)   (96,835)   (49,194)   (8)   (4,563)   (8)
 Net assets transferred 2013   213,593   213,593   213,593   -   213,593   -   213,593
 Non-cash charges for the write-off and write-down of property under construction and related assets 2012-2015   10,000   15,000   11,013   338   81   (5)   (141)
 Employee related costs including severance, retention and outplacement  2012-2014   13,000   16,000   14,129   (133)   3,103   (71)   53
 Contract termination costs 2012-2015   90,000   120,000   90,417   30,833   16,605   (6,254)   13,705
 Transaction costs 2012-2014   5,000   7,000   6,027   462   3,719   253   2,801
  Total (Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net   $ (268,407) $ (283,407) $ (241,656) $ (17,694) $ (242,907) $ (10,640) $ (249,997)
                          
Depreciation, amortization and accretion expense                       
 Incremental depreciation, amortization and accretion, net of salvage values 2012-2014   211,656   211,656   211,656   13,085   88,324   -   50,278
(Increase) decrease in Operating income   $ (56,751) $ (71,751) $ (30,000) $ (4,609) $ (154,583) $ (10,640) $ (199,719)

Incremental depreciation, amortization and accretion, net of salvage values represents amounts recorded in the specified time periods as a result of a change in estimate for the remaining useful life and salvage value of certain assets and a change in estimate which accelerated the settlement dates of certain asset retirement obligations in conjunction with the Divestiture Transaction. Specifically, for the periods indicated, this is estimated depreciation, amortization and accretion recorded on assets and liabilities of the Divestiture Markets after the execution of the Purchase and Sale Agreement on November 6, 2012 less depreciation, amortization and accretion that would have been recorded on such assets and liabilities in the normal course, absent the Divestiture Transaction.

 

  As a result of the transaction, U.S. Cellular recognized the following amounts in the Consolidated Balance Sheet:
                 
      Six Months Ended June 30, 2014   
(Dollars in thousands)Balance December 31, 2013 Costs Incurred Cash Settlements (1) Adjustments (2) Balance June 30, 2014
Accrued compensation              
 Employee related costs including severance, retention, outplacement$ 2,053 $ 180 $ (908) $ (313) $ 1,012
Other current liabilities              
 Contract termination costs$ 13,992 $ 16,691 $ (12,887) $ 2,091 $ 19,887
Other deferred liabilities and credits              
 Contract termination costs$ 30,849 $ 23,773 $ (2,424) $ (19,898) $ 32,300
                 
(1)Cash settlement amounts are included in either the Net income or changes in Other assets and liabilities line items as part of Cash flows from operating activities on the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows.
(2)Adjustment to liability represents changes to previously accrued amounts.

Other Acquisitions, Divestitures and Exchanges

 

On May 23, 2014, U.S. Cellular entered into a License Purchase and Customer Recommendation Agreement with Airadigm Communications, Inc. (“Airadigm”). TDS owns 100% of the common stock of Airadigm. The Agreement provides that Airadigm will transfer to U.S. Cellular FCC spectrum licenses and certain tower assets in certain markets in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan, in consideration for $91.5 million in cash at closing. The transaction also includes a program in which Airadigm would earn a migration fee from U.S. Cellular for each Airadigm customer who becomes a U.S. Cellular customer. Since both parties to this transaction are controlled by TDS, upon closing, U.S. Cellular will record the transferred assets at Airadigm's net book value of $15.2 million. The difference between the consideration paid and the net book value of the transferred assets will be recorded as a reduction of U.S. Cellular's Retained earnings. The transaction is subject to certain conditions. Subject to the satisfaction or (if permitted) waiver of all conditions, the transaction is expected to close during the third quarter of 2014.

 

On March 5, 2014, U.S. Cellular sold the majority of its St. Louis area non-operating market spectrum license for $92.3 million. A gain of $75.8 million was recorded in (Gain) loss on license sales and exchanges in the Consolidated Statement of Operations in the first quarter of 2014.

 

On February 14, 2014, U.S. Cellular completed an exchange whereby U.S. Cellular received one E block PCS spectrum license covering Milwaukee, WI in exchange for one D block PCS spectrum license covering Milwaukee, WI. The exchange of licenses provided U.S. Cellular with spectrum to meet anticipated future capacity and coverage requirements. No cash, customers, network assets, other assets or liabilities were included in the exchange. As a result of this transaction, U.S. Cellular recognized a gain of $15.7 million, representing the difference between the $15.9 million fair value of the license surrendered, calculated using a market approach valuation method, and the $0.2 million carrying value of the license surrendered. This gain was recorded in (Gain) loss on license sales and exchanges in the Consolidated Statement of Operations in the first quarter of 2014.