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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Principles of consolidation The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Shenandoah Telecommunications Company and all of its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions for continuing operations have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and related disclosures. Due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making estimates, actual results to be reported in future periods could differ from our estimates.
Revenue recognition The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606, Revenue from contracts with customers, (“ASC 606”).
Our Broadband segment provides broadband data, video and voice services to residential, small and midsize businesses (“SMB”) and commercial customers in portions of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, via fiber optic and hybrid fiber coaxial cable networks. The Broadband segment also provides voice and DSL telephone services to customers in Virginia’s Shenandoah County and portions of adjacent counties as an RLEC.

These contracts are generally cancellable at the customer’s discretion without penalty at any time. Transaction price is measured as the amount billed, which is generally determined by list prices for goods and services less discounts offered. We allocate the total transaction price in these transactions based upon the standalone selling price of each distinct good or service. We generally recognize these revenues over time as customers simultaneously receive and consume the benefits of the service, with the exception of equipment sales and home wiring, which are recognized as revenue at a point in time when control transfers and when installation is complete, respectively. A significant portion of the Company’s revenues are derived from customers who may cancel their subscriptions at any time without penalty. As such, the amount of deferred revenue related to unsatisfied performance obligations is not necessarily indicative of the future revenue to be recognized from the Company’s existing customers. Installation fees charged upfront without transfer of commensurate goods or services to the customer are allocated to services and are recognized ratably over the longer of the contract term or the period in which the unrecognized fee remains material to the contract, which we estimate to be one year. Additionally, the Company incurs commission expenses related to in-house and third-party vendors which are capitalized and amortized over the expected customer benefit period.

Our Broadband segment also provides Ethernet and Wavelength fiber optic services to commercial fiber customers under capacity agreements, and the related revenue is recognized over time. In some cases, non-refundable upfront fees are charged for connecting commercial fiber customers to our fiber network. Those amounts are recognized ratably over the initial contract term.

The Broadband segment also leases dedicated fiber optic strands to customers as part of “dark fiber” agreements, which are accounted for as leases under ASC 842, Leases (“ASC 842”).

Our Tower segment leases space on owned cell towers to our Broadband segment, and to other wireless carriers. Revenue from these leases is accounted for under ASC 842.
Advertising Costs The Company expenses advertising costs and marketing production costs as incurred and includes such costs within selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.
Fair value measurements The Company measures certain assets and liabilities at fair value. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The Company uses the fair value hierarchy to evaluate inputs used in determining the fair value of its assets and liabilities. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are (i) observable inputs, such as quoted prices in active markets (level 1); (ii) inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are observable either directly or indirectly (level 2); and (iii) unobservable inputs that require the Company to use present value and other valuation techniques in the determination of fair value (level 3).
The Company remeasures long-lived assets such as property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill at fair value when they are deemed to be impaired. The fair value of these assets is determined with valuation techniques using the best information available and may include quoted market prices, market comparables or discounted cash flow models.

The carrying amounts reported in the Company’s consolidated financial statements for cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities approximate fair value because of the short-term nature of these financial instruments. The carrying amount of the Company's debt balance from term loans, which have a floating interest rate, approximate fair value.
Cash and cash equivalents Cash equivalents include all investments with an original maturity of three months or less. The Company places its temporary cash investments with high credit quality financial institutions. Generally, such investments are in excess of FDIC or SIPC insurance limits.
Allowance for doubtful accounts Accounts receivable have been reduced by an allowance for amounts that may be uncollectible in the future. This estimated allowance is based primarily on the aging category, historical collection experience and management’s evaluation of the financial condition of the customer. The Company writes off accounts receivable balances deemed uncollectible against the allowance for credit losses generally when the account is turned over for collection to an outside collection agency.
Investments The Company investments measured at fair value primarily consist of Supplemental executive retirement plan (“SERP”) investments in a rabbi trust as a source of funding for future payments under the plan. The SERP’s investments were designated as trading securities and will be liquidated and paid out to the participants six months after retirement. The benefit obligation to participants is always equal to the value of the SERP assets under ASC 710, Compensation. The Company's investments measured at cost primarily consist of CoBank’s Class A common stock derived from the CoBank patronage program. The investment is recognized as the Company’s initial investment in CoBank plus subsequent patronage distributions received from CoBank.
SERP investments at fair value: The fair value of the SERP investments are based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets and are classified as Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. Changes to the investments' fair value are presented in Other income (expense), while the reciprocal changes in the liability are presented in selling, general and administrative expense. At December 31, 2021, $0.8 million of SERP investments were presented as prepaid expenses and other (current assets). Those investments were liquidated in July 2022 to pay the current portion of our SERP obligation.

Cost method investments: Our investment in CoBank’s Class A common stock, derived from the CoBank patronage program, represented substantially all of our cost method investments with a balance of $10.0 million and $10.3 million at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. We recognized approximately $70.7 thousand, $2.0 million and $4.2 million of patronage income in other income (expense) in 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Historically, approximately 75% of the patronage distributions were collected in cash and 25% in equity.

Equity method investments: At December 31, 2022, the Company had a 20.0% ownership interest in Valley Network Partnership (“ValleyNet”). The Company and ValleyNet purchase capacity on one another’s fiber network through related party transactions. We recognized revenue of $0.7 million, $0.7 million, and $0.9 million from providing service to ValleyNet during 2022, 2021, and 2020, respectively. We recognized cost of service of $0.1 million, $1.2 million, and $2.7 million for the use of ValleyNet’s network during 2022, 2021, and 2020, respectively.
Property, plant and equipment Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. The Company capitalizes all costs associated with the purchase, deployment and installation of property, plant and equipment, including interest costs and internal labor costs on major capital projects during the period of their construction. Maintenance expense is recognized as incurred when repairs are performed that do not extend the life of property, plant and equipment. Expenses for major renewals and improvements, which significantly extend the useful lives of existing property and equipment, are capitalized and depreciated. Depreciation is calculated on the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Labor costs associated with customer installation activities at existing service locations are expensed as incurred under industry specific guidance. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the lesser of their useful lives or respective lease terms. Land is not depreciated. Refer to Note 5, Property, Plant and Equipment, for additional information.
Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets Goodwill represents the excess of acquisition costs over the fair value of tangible net assets and identifiable intangible assets of the businesses acquired. Cable franchise rights provide us with the non-exclusive right to provide video services in a specified area. Spectrum licenses are issued by the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) and provide us with either an exclusive or priority access right to utilize designated radio frequency spectrum within specific geographic service areas to provide wireless communication services. While some cable franchises and spectrum licenses are issued for a fixed time (generally ten years and up to fifteen years, respectively), renewals have been granted routinely and at nominal costs. The Company believes it will be able to meet all requirements necessary to secure renewal of its cable franchise rights and spectrum licenses. Moreover, the Company has determined that there are currently no legal, regulatory, contractual, competitive, economic or other factors that limit the useful lives of our cable franchises or spectrum licenses and as a result, we account for cable franchise rights and spectrum licenses as indefinite-lived intangible assets.Indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized, but rather, are subject to impairment testing annually, in the fourth quarter, or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be fully recoverable. Goodwill is evaluated for impairment based on the identification of reporting units. Our reporting units align with our reportable segments. We evaluated our reporting units for impairment on October 1, 2022 on the basis of qualitative factors. Our consideration of qualitative factors included but was not limited to macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, company specific events, changes in circumstances, after tax cash flows and market capitalization trends.
Long-lived assets Finite-lived intangible assets, property, plant, and equipment, and other long-lived assets held for use are amortized or depreciated over their estimated useful lives, as summarized in the respective notes below. These assets are evaluated for impairment based on the identification of asset groups. Our asset groups align with our reportable segments. We evaluated our asset groups for impairment during the fourth quarter of 2022 and concluded that there were no indicators that an asset group impairment was more likely than not, with the exception of those described in Note 5, Property, Plant and Equipment.
Asset retirement obligations Certain of the Company’s lease agreements contain provisions requiring the Company to restore facilities or remove property in the event that the lease agreement is not renewed. The Company records an estimate for the cost to comply with these provisions based on what a willing third party would charge for the retirement activity on the date of recognizing the asset retirement obligation. Upon retirement of the related asset and performance of the asset retirement activities, the Company derecognizes the asset retirement obligation and records a gain or loss to reflect the difference between the Company's estimate and the actual cost to retire the asset.
Leases The Company leases various telecommunications sites, warehouses, retail stores, and office facilities for use in our business. These agreements include fixed rental payments as well as variable rental payments such as those based on relevant inflation indices. The accounting lease term includes optional renewal periods that we are reasonably certain to exercise based on our assessment of relevant contractual and economic factors. The related lease payments are discounted at lease commencement using the Company's incremental borrowing rate in order to measure the lease liability and right-of-use asset.The incremental borrowing rate is determined using a portfolio approach based on the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments on a collateralized basis over a similar term. The Company uses the observable unsecured borrowing rate and risk-adjusts that rate to approximate a collateralized rate.
Leases The Company leases various telecommunications sites, warehouses, retail stores, and office facilities for use in our business. These agreements include fixed rental payments as well as variable rental payments such as those based on relevant inflation indices. The accounting lease term includes optional renewal periods that we are reasonably certain to exercise based on our assessment of relevant contractual and economic factors. The related lease payments are discounted at lease commencement using the Company's incremental borrowing rate in order to measure the lease liability and right-of-use asset.The incremental borrowing rate is determined using a portfolio approach based on the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments on a collateralized basis over a similar term. The Company uses the observable unsecured borrowing rate and risk-adjusts that rate to approximate a collateralized rate.
Income taxes The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the consolidated financial statements. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.
In assessing the ability to realize deferred tax assets, the Company considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon generating future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. The Company considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, taxable income in prior carryback years if available and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. Based upon the level of historical taxable income, projections for future taxable income over the periods for which the deferred tax assets are deductible, and the option to elect out of bonus depreciation on in-serviced fixed assets, the Company believes it more likely than not that the net deferred tax assets will be realized.

The Company recognizes a tax benefit from an uncertain tax position when it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, including resolutions of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits. The Company records a liability for the difference between the benefit recognized and measured for financial statement purposes and the tax position taken or expected to be taken on the tax return. Changes in the estimate are recorded in the period in which such determination is made.
Stock-based compensation The cost of employee services received in exchange for share-based awards classified as equity is measured using the estimated fair value of the award on the date of the grant, and the related expense is recorded using the straight-line method consistent with the recipient's respective service period. The fair value for the Company's restricted stock units (“RSUs”) are determined using the Company's stock price and the fair value for the Company's Relative Total Shareholder Return (“RTSR”) awards are determined using a Monte Carlo simulation. The Company records forfeitures for its RSUs and RTSRs as they occur. Certain of the Company's share-based awards contain retirement clauses which state that awards will continue to vest without the requirement of continuous employment after a participant achieves certain service- and age-based requirements (“Retirement Eligibility”). The Company accelerates expense associated with eligible awards for employees who have achieved Retirement Eligibility on the later of the grant date or the date in which Retirement Eligibility is achieved.
Segments The Company’s chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) regularly reviews the Company’s results to assess performance and allocates resources at the level of the Company's two operating segments, Broadband and Tower. Given the differences in the characteristics of the Company's operating segments, management has determined that the operating segments cannot be combined into one reportable segment. As such, the Company has two reportable segments, Broadband and Tower.
New Accounting Standards In November 2021, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) 2021-10, “Government Assistance (Topic 832), Disclosures by Business Entities About Government Assistance,” (“ASU 2021-10”) which requires entities to provide disclosures on material government assistance transactions for annual reporting periods. The disclosures include information about the nature of the assistance, the related accounting policies used to account for government assistance, the effect of government assistance on the entity’s financial statements and any significant terms and conditions of the agreements, including commitments and contingencies. We adopted ASU 2021-10 in 2022 and have included the new disclosure requirements in Note 12, Government Grants.