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Common Shareholders' Equity | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2016
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract] |
Common Shareholder's Equity | Note 15 Common Shareholders’ Equity Tax-Deferred Savings Plan U.S. Cellular has reserved 67,215 Common Shares for issuance under the TDS Tax-Deferred Savings Plan, a qualified profit‑sharing plan pursuant to Sections 401(a) and 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. Participating employees have the option of investing their contributions in a U.S. Cellular Common Share fund, a TDS Common Share fund or certain unaffiliated funds. Series A Common Shares Series A Common Shares are convertible on a share-for-share basis into Common Shares. In matters other than the election of directors, each Series A Common Share is entitled to ten votes per share, compared to one vote for each Common Share. The Series A Common Shares are entitled to elect 75% of the directors (rounded down), and the Common Shares elect 25% of the directors (rounded up). As of December 31, 2016, a majority of U.S. Cellular’s outstanding Common Shares and all of U.S. Cellular’s outstanding Series A Common Shares were held by TDS. Common Share Repurchase Program In November 2009, the Board of Directors of U.S. Cellular authorized the repurchase of up to 1,300,000 Common Shares on an annual basis beginning in 2009 and continuing each year thereafter, on a cumulative basis. In December 2016, the U.S. Cellular Board amended this authorization to provide that such amount will be any amount from zero to 1,300,000 beginning on January 1, 2017, as determined by the U.S. Cellular Pricing Committee, and that if the Pricing Committee did not specify an amount for any year, such amount would be zero for such year. The Pricing Committee did not specify any increase as of January 1, 2017. The Pricing Committee was also authorized to decrease the cumulative amount of the authorization at any time, but has not taken any action to do so at this time. As a result, there was no change to the cumulative amount of the share repurchase authorization as of January 1, 2017. As of December 31, 2016, the total cumulative amount of Common Shares authorized to be purchased is 5,900,849. The authorization provides that share repurchases will be made pursuant to open market purchases, block purchases, private purchases, or otherwise, depending on market prices and other conditions. This authorization does not have an expiration date. Pursuant to certain employee and non-employee benefit plans, U.S. Cellular reissued the following Treasury Shares:
Year Ended December 31, | 2016 |  | 2015 |  | 2014
(Shares in millions) |  |  |  |  |
Treasury Shares Reissued | 1 |  | – |  | –

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- Definition The entire disclosure for shareholders' equity comprised of portions attributable to the parent entity and noncontrolling interest, including other comprehensive income. Includes, but is not limited to, balances of common stock, preferred stock, additional paid-in capital, other capital and retained earnings, accumulated balance for each classification of other comprehensive income and amount of comprehensive income. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 310 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 4 -Subparagraph (SAB Topic 4.E) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27010918&loc=d3e74567-122707 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 505 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21484-112644 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(29)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 505 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 5 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21488-112644 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08(e)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e23780-122690 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(31)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 505 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 4 -Subparagraph (SAB Topic 4.C) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27012166&loc=d3e187143-122770 Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(30)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 505 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 6 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21506-112644 Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08(d)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e23780-122690 Reference 11: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 505 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.3-04) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27012166&loc=d3e187085-122770 Reference 12: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 505 -SubTopic 30 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6405834&loc=d3e23285-112656 Reference 13: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 505 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21475-112644 Reference 14: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Glossary Preferred Stock -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6521494 Reference 15: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 505 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21463-112644 Reference 16: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 505 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 11 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21564-112644 + Details
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