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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2023
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 14. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Regulatory and Litigation Matters The Company and its subsidiaries are subject to certain regulatory and legal proceedings and other claims arising in the ordinary course of business, some of which involve claims for damages and taxes that are substantial in amount. Historically, the Company’s subsidiary, GTT, has been subject to other long-standing litigation proceedings and disputes in Guyana that have not yet been resolved. The Company believes that, except for the items discussed below, for which the Company is currently unable to predict the final outcome, the disposition of matters currently pending will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations. Beginning in 2006, the National Frequency Management Unit (now the Telecommunications Agency , or the “NFMU/TA”) and GTT have been engaged in discussions regarding the amount of and methodology for calculation of spectrum fees payable by GTT in Guyana. Since that time, GTT has made payments of, undisputed spectrum fees as amounts invoiced by the NFMU/TA. There have been limited further discussions on the subject of a revised spectrum fee methodology with the Telecommunications Agency and GTT awaits the determination of such fees. On May 8, 2009, a GTT competitor, Digicel, filed a lawsuit in Guyana challenging the legality of GTT’s exclusive license rights under Guyana’s constitution and GTT intervened in the suit in order to oppose Digicel’s claims. The case remains pending. The Company believes that any legal challenge to GTT’s exclusive license rights granted in 1990 is without merit and the Company continues to defend vigorously against such legal challenge. GTT has filed several lawsuits in the High Court of Guyana asserting that, despite its denials, Digicel is engaged in international bypass in violation of GTT’s exclusive license rights, the interconnection agreement between the parties, and the laws of Guyana. Digicel filed counterclaims alleging that GTT has violated the terms of the interconnection agreement and Guyana laws. These suits, filed in 2010 and 2012, have been consolidated with Digicel’s constitutional challenge described above, however, the Company cannot accurately predict at this time when the consolidated suit will reach a court of final determination. GTT is also involved in several legal claims regarding its tax filings with the Guyana Revenue Authority (the “GRA”) dating back to 1991 regarding the deductibility of intercompany advisory fees as well as other tax assessments. GTT’s position has been upheld by various High Court rulings made in its favor including most recently in December 2021, when an assessment relating to 2010-2016 was quashed and declared to have no legal effect. GTT has maintained that it has no unpaid corporation tax due to the GRA and that any liability GTT might be found to have with respect to the disputed tax assessments, as alleged by the GRA in the aggregate amount of $32 million net of interest, would be offset in part by the amounts necessary to ensure that GTT’s return on investment was no less than 15% per annum for the relevant periods. Several High Court rulings in the favor of GTT have been appealed by the GRA and the Company believes that some adverse outcome in these or pending unheard matters could occur. On May 20, 2021, the Company was served with a notice of application for enforcement of a foreign judgment with respect to a matter brought by the Trinidad & Tobago Electric Commission (“TTEC”) in the High Court of Justice in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in August 2013 against GTT and other defendants, alleging breach of contract due to GTT’s failure to pay TTEC in connection with amounts alleged to be owed as reimbursement for cable repair costs. In December 2022, GTT settled this matter with TTEC. In February 2020, the Company’s Alaska Communications subsidiary received a draft audit report from USAC in connection with USAC’s inquiry into Alaska Communications’ funding requests under the Rural Health Care Support Program for certain customers for the time period of July 2012 through June 2017. The draft audit report alleges violations of the FCC’s rules for establishing rural rates and urban rates, the provisioning and billing of ineligible services and products, and violations of the FCC’s competitive bidding rules. Alaska Communications has provided USAC with extensive comments in response to its draft audit report seeking correction of numerous factual and legal errors that it believed it had identified. As a result of these conversations and comments being submitted by Alaska Communications, USAC’s auditors may revise their findings, including the amounts they recommend USAC seek to recover. USAC’s auditors are expected to issue a final audit report incorporating Alaska Communications’ responses that will be sent to USAC’s Rural Health Care Division to review and determine if corrective action would be appropriate. In the event that the Company disagrees with USAC’s final audit report, the Company can appeal that decision to USAC’s Rural Health Care Division and/or the FCC. At this time, the Company cannot predict the contents or timing of the final USAC audit report, the outcome of the audit or the impact on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity and may require certain undertakings in addition to any proposed financial settlement. Alaska Communications also received a Letter of Inquiry on March 18, 2018, and subsequent follow up information requests, from the FCC Enforcement Bureau requesting historical information regarding Alaska Communications’ participation in the FCC’s Rural Health Care Support Program. The Company is engaged in discussions with the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau and will continue to work constructively to provide it the information it is seeking. Any adverse outcome with respect to the FCC Enforcement Bureau’s inquiry may have an adverse impact the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity and may require certain undertakings in addition to any proposed financial settlement. With respect to all of the foregoing matters, the Company believes that some adverse outcome is probable and has accordingly accrued $15.3 million as of March 31, 2023 for these and other potential liabilities arising in various claims, legal actions and regulatory proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. The Company also faces contingencies that are reasonably possible to occur that cannot currently be estimated. It is the Company’s policy to expense costs associated with loss contingencies, including any related legal fees, as they are incurred. ​

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