Intangible Assets, Goodwill and Other (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2024

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Goodwill and other intangible assets consisted of the following:


	September 30, 2024		December 31, 2023
	(Dollars in millions)
Goodwill, less accumulated impairment losses of $2,405 and $2,405	$	6,955	6,955
Other intangible assets, less accumulated amortization of $1,964 and $1,966	$	92	103

Substantially all of our goodwill was derived from Lumen's acquisition of us where the purchase price exceeded the fair value of the net assets acquired. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the gross carrying amount of goodwill and other intangible assets was $9.0 billion.

We are required to assess our goodwill for impairment annually, or under certain circumstances, more frequently, such as when events or changes in circumstances indicate there may be impairment. We are required to write down the value of goodwill only when our assessment determines the carrying value of equity of our reporting unit exceeds its fair value. Our annual impairment assessment date for goodwill is October 31, at which date we assess goodwill at our reporting unit. In reviewing the criteria for reporting units, we have determined that we are one reporting unit.

Second Quarter 2023 Goodwill Impairment Analysis

The sustained decline in Lumen's share price during the second quarter of 2023 was considered a triggering event requiring evaluation of goodwill impairment; as such, we estimated the fair value using only the market approach. Applying this approach, we utilized company comparisons and analyst reports within the telecommunications industry which supported a range of fair values derived from annualized revenue and Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization ("EBITDA") multiples between 1.5x and 4.3x and 4.6x and 10.5x, respectively. We selected a revenue multiple within and an EBITDA multiple below these comparable market multiples. For the three months ended June 30, 2023, based on our assessment performed as described above, we concluded that our goodwill was not impaired.

The market approach that we used in the quarter ended June 30, 2023 incorporated estimates and assumptions related to the forecasted results for the remainder of the year, including revenues, expenses, and the achievement of certain strategic initiatives. In developing the market multiples, we considered observed trends of our industry participants. Our assessment included many factors that required significant judgment. Alternative interpretations of these factors could have resulted in different conclusions.

The amortization expense for finite-lived intangible assets for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 totaled $4 million and $17 million, respectively, and $29 million and $50 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

We estimate that future total amortization expense for finite-lived intangible assets will be as follows:


	(Dollars in millions)
2024 (remaining three months)	$	9
2025	28
2026	17
2027	13
2028	10
2029 and thereafter	15
Total finite-lived intangible assets future amortization expense	$	92