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Nature of Operations
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Nature of Operations Nature of Operations
Shenandoah Telecommunications Company and its subsidiaries (collectively, “Shentel”, “we”, “our”, “us”, or the “Company”) provide broadband data, video and voice services to residential and commercial customers in portions of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, via fiber optic and hybrid fiber coaxial cable networks. We also lease dark fiber and provide Ethernet and Wavelength fiber optic services to enterprise and wholesale customers throughout the entirety of our service area. The Broadband segment also provides voice and DSL telephone services to customers in Virginia’s Shenandoah County and portions of adjacent counties as a Rural Local Exchange Carrier (“RLEC”). These integrated networks are connected by a fiber network. All of these operations are contained within our Broadband reporting segment.

Our Tower segment owns 219 macro cellular towers and leases colocation space on those towers to wireless communications providers. See Note 15, Segment Reporting, for additional information.

Pending Acquisition of Horizon Acquisition Parent LLC

On October 24, 2023, Shentel entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the equity interests in Horizon Acquisition Parent LLC (“Horizon”) for $385 million (the “Horizon Transaction”). Consideration will consist of $305 million in cash and $80 million of Shentel common stock.

Horizon is a leading commercial fiber provider in Ohio and adjacent states serving national wireless providers, carriers, enterprises, and government, education and healthcare customers. Based in Chillicothe, Ohio, Horizon was founded in 1895 as the incumbent local exchange carrier in Ross County, Ohio and rapidly expanded its fiber network over the past 14 years. Most recently, Horizon has pursued a strategy of investing in Fiber-to-the-Home (“FTTH”) in tier 3 & 4 markets in Ohio.

Financing

Shentel intends to fund the Horizon Transaction with a combination of existing cash resources, revolving credit facility capacity and an amended and upsized credit facility. The Company has received $275 million in financing commitments from CoBank, Bank of America, Citizens Bank, N.A., and Fifth Third Bank, N.A.. This financing is expected to close in conjunction with the Horizon Transaction.
GCM Grosvenor (“GCM”), a selling unit holder of Horizon, will exchange its equity interest in Horizon for 4.08 million shares of Shentel common stock with an aggregate value of $80 million based on a reference price of $19.60 resulting in GCM owning approximately 7% of Shentel’s fully diluted common shares after the transaction is closed.
Shentel has entered into a 7% Participating Exchangeable Perpetual Preferred Stock (“Preferred Stock”) investment agreement with Energy Capital Partners (“ECP”), an existing Shentel shareholder and long-time infrastructure investor, to provide $81 million of growth capital to fund the FTTH network expansion, the government grant projects and general corporate purposes. The dividend on the Preferred Stock can be paid in cash or in-kind at the option of the Company. The Preferred Stock can be exchanged for Shentel common stock at an exchange price of $24.50, a 25% premium to the reference price of $19.60, under certain conditions as outlined in the investment agreement. This financing is expected to close in conjunction with the Horizon Transaction.

The closing of the Horizon Transaction remains subject to certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the first half of 2024.