UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D. C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31,201831, 2021
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from__________ to __________
Commission File No.: 000-09881
shen-20211231_g1.jpg
SHENANDOAH TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
VIRGINIAVirginia54-1162807
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

500 Shentel Way, Edinburg, Virginia500 Shentel Way, Edinburg, Virginia    22824
(Address of principal executive offices)(Zip Code)
(Address of principal executive offices)  (Zip Code)

(540) 984-4141  (Registrant's telephone number, including area code) 
SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(B) OF THE ACT:
Common Stock (No Par Value)SHENNASDAQ Global Select Market50,048,651
(Title of Class)(Trading Symbol)(Name of Exchange on which Registered)(The number of shares of the registrant's common stock outstanding on February 23, 2022)


SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(G) OF THE ACT: NONE


Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes     No 


Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.  Yes   No 


Note - Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act from their obligations under those Sections.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes     No


Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes     No

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ☐


Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” andfiler,” “smaller reporting company”company,” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.                  

Large accelerated filer            Accelerated filer              Non-accelerated filer             Smaller reporting company Emerging growth company


If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐


Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management's assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. Yes     No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes     No 


The aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant at June 30, 20182021 based on the closing price of such stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on such date was approximately $1.6$1.7 billion.

The number of shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding on February 22, 2019 was 49,830,871.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE


Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement relating to its 20192022 annual meeting of shareholders (the “2019“2022 Proxy Statement”) are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K where indicated. The 20192022 Proxy Statement will be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year to which this report relates.

Auditor Name:KPMG LLPAuditor Location:McLean, VirginiaAuditor Firm ID:185


 SHENANDOAH TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS 
Item
Number
 
Page
Number
   
 PART I 
   
1.
1A.
1B.
2.
3.
4.
   
 PART II 
   
5.
6.
7.
7A.
8.
9.
9A.
9B.
   
 PART III 
   
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
   
 PART IV 
   
15.



SHENANDOAH TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY
 TABLE OF CONTENTS 
Item
Number
 Page
Number
   
 PART I 
   
1.
1A.
1B.
2.
3.
   
 PART II 
   
5.
6.
7.
7A.
8.
9.
9A.
9B.
   
 PART III 
   
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
   
 PART IV 
   
15.
16.
F-30






2

Table of Contents
PART I


SomeCAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This annual report includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the information containedSecurities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), regarding, among other things, our plans, strategies and prospects, both business and financial including, without limitation, the forward-looking statements set forth in Part I. Item 1, under the heading “Business” and in Part II. Item 7, under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this report concerning the markets and industry in which we operate is derived from publicly available information and from industry sources.annual report. Although we believe that our plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or realize these plans, intentions or expectations. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, without limitation, the factors described in Part I. Item 1A, under “Risk Factors” and in Part II. Item 7, under the heading, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this publicly available informationannual report. Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this annual report may be identified by the use of forward‑looking words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “should,” “planned,” “will,” “may,” “intend,” “estimated,” “aim,” “on track,” “target,” “opportunity,” “tentative,” “positioning,” “designed,” “create,” “predict,” “project,” “initiatives,” “seek,” “would,” “could,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “upside,” “increases” and “potential,” among others. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make in this annual report are set forth in this annual report and in other reports or documents that we file from time to time with the SEC, and include, but are not limited to:

our ability to sustain and grow revenues and cash flow from operations by offering broadband internet, video, voice, cell tower space, fiber optic network services and other services to residential and commercial customers, to adequately meet the customer demands in our service areas and to maintain and grow our customer base, particularly in the face of increasingly aggressive competition, the need for innovation and the informationrelated capital expenditures;
the impact of competition from other market participants, including but not limited to fiber to the home providers, incumbent telephone companies, direct broadcast satellite ("DBS") operators, wireless broadband and telephone providers, digital subscriber line (“DSL”) providers, incumbent cable providers, video provided over the Internet by these industry sources are reliable, we(i) market participants that have not independently verifiedhistorically competed in the accuracymultichannel video business, (ii) traditional multichannel video distributors, and (iii) content providers that have historically licensed cable networks to multichannel video distributors, and providers of advertising over the Internet;
the ability to acquire fiber optic cable, consumer premise equipment, and other materials and equipment in a timely manner needed to expand our network and customer base and maintain our current operations;
the availability of cash on hand and access to capital to fund the growth of capital expenditures needed to execute our business plan,
natural disasters, pandemics and outbreaks of contagious diseases and other adverse public health developments, such as COVID-19;
general business conditions, inflation, economic uncertainty or downturn, unemployment levels and the level of activity in the housing sector;
our ability to obtain programming at reasonable prices or to raise prices to offset, in whole or in part, the effects of higher programming costs;
our ability to develop and deploy new products and technologies including mobile products and any other consumer services and service platforms;
any events that disrupt our networks, information systems or properties and impair our operating activities or our reputation;
the ability to retain and hire key personnel;
our ability to comply with all covenants in our credit facility, any violation of which, if not cured in a timely manner, could trigger an event of default.

All forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. We are under no duty or obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this information.annual report.


Unless we indicate otherwise, references in this report to “we,” “us,” “our,” “Shentel” and “the Company” means Shenandoah Telecommunications Company and its subsidiaries.


3

Table of Contents

ITEM 1.BUSINESS

ITEM 1.BUSINESS

Our Company


Shenandoah Telecommunications Company and its subsidiaries (collectively,(“Shentel”, “we”, “our”, “us”, or the “Company”) provide, provides broadband services through its high speed, state-of-the-art cable, fiber-optic and fixed wireless personal communications service (“PCS”) undernetworks to customers in the Sprint brands,Mid-Atlantic United States. The Company's services include: broadband internet, video, and telephone service, cable television, unregulated communications equipment salesvoice; fiber-optic Ethernet, wavelength and services,leasing; and internet access under the Shentel brand.  In addition, the Company operates an interstate fiber optic network and leases its owned cell site towers to both affiliates and non-affiliated third-party wireless service providers. The Company’s reportable segments include: Wireless, Cable, Wireline and Other. See Note 17, Segment Reporting, in our consolidated financial statements for further information.

Pursuant to an agreement with Sprint and its related parties (collectively, “Sprint”), the Company has been the exclusive Sprint PCS Affiliate providing wireless mobility communications network products and services on the 800 megahertz (MHz), 1900 MHz and 2.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum ranges in a multi-state area covering large portions of central and western Virginia, south-central Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and portions of Maryland, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Ohio.tower colocation leasing. The Company is licensed to use the Sprint brand name in this territory,owns an extensive regional network with over 7,400 route miles of fiber and operates its network under Sprint's radio spectrum licenses.over 220 macro cellular towers. For more information, please visit www.shentel.com.


Description of Business


WirelessBroadband Reporting Segment


Since 1995, the Wireless operations have provided personal communications services over a digital wireless telephone and data network through an agreement with Sprint. The Company currentlyOur Broadband segment provides service in a multi-state area covering large portions of central and western Virginia, south-central Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and portions of Maryland, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Ohio ("Sprint Affiliate Area").  The current Sprint Affiliate Area covers approximately 6.1 million POPS ("Covered POPS").  In the Sprint Affiliate Area, the Company is the exclusive provider of the Sprint-branded wireless services using the 800 MHz, 1900 MHz and 2.5 GHz spectrum ranges.  The Company provided network service to 795,176 postpaid Sprint PCS subscribers at December 31, 2018, representing an increase of 8.0% compared with December 31, 2017.  The Company provided service to 258,704 prepaid Sprint PCS subscribers at December 31, 2018, representing an increase of 14.6% compared to December 31, 2017. Of the Company’s total consolidated operating revenues, approximately 68% in 2018, 72% in 2017 and 69% in 2016 were generated by or through Sprint and its customers using the Company's portion of Sprint’s nationwide network. 

Sprint provides the Company significant support services, such as customer service, billing, collections, long distance, national network operations support, inventory logistics support, use of the Sprint brand names, national advertising, national distribution and product development.

The Company’s wireless revenue is variable based on billed revenues to Sprint’s customers in the Sprint Affiliate Area less applicable fees retained by Sprint. Sprint retains an 8% Management Fee and an 8.6% Net Service Fee on postpaid revenues and a 6% Management Fee on prepaid wireless revenues. The Company is also charged for the costs of subsidized handsets sold through Sprint’s national channels as well as commissions paid by Sprint to third-party postpaid resellers in our service territory.  Sprint also charges the Company separately to acquire and support prepaid customers.  These charges are calculated based on Sprint’s national averages for its prepaid programs, and are billed per user or per gross additional customer, as appropriate.



Effective January 1, 2016, the Company amended its agreement with Sprint, and Sprint agreed to waive the Management Fees charged on both postpaid and prepaid revenues, up to approximately $4.2 million per month, until the total amount waived reaches approximately $255.6 million, which is expected to occur in 2022.

Cable

The Cable operations providebroadband internet, video broadband and voice services to residential and commercial customers in franchise areas covering portions of Virginia, West Virginia, and western Maryland, and leases fiber optic facilities throughout its service area. Most of these markets served in the Cable operations are connected by a fiber network of 3,514 miles, which interconnects with the Wireline operations' 2,127 mile fiber network.

There were 135,145 cable revenue generating units at December 31, 2018, an increase of 1.5% compared with December 31, 2017.  A revenue generating unit consists of each separate service (video, broadband and voice) subscribed to by a customer.

Wireline

The Wireline operations provide regulated and unregulated voice services, internet broadband, long distance access services, and leases fiber optic facilities throughout portions of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania. ThisKentucky, via fiber optic services under the brand name of Glo Fiber, hybrid fiber coaxial cable under the brand name of Shentel, and fixed wireless network connects toservices under the brand name of Beam. The Broadband segment also leases dark fiber and supports the Company’s Wireless operations. The Company leasesprovides Ethernet and wavelength fiber optic capacity from this networkservices to third parties.

Wireline provided localenterprise and wholesale customers throughout the entirety of our service area. The Broadband segment also provides voice and DSL telephone services to 19,131 customers primarily in Virginia,Virginia’s Shenandoah County and portions of adjacent counties as ofa Rural Local Exchange Carrier (“RLEC”). These integrated networks are connected by an approximately 7,400 fiber route mile network. The Broadband segment served 203,655 Revenue Generating Units ("RGUs") at December 31, 2018.  The Wireline operations provide access for interexchange carriers to the local exchange network and switching for voice products offered through the Cable segment.  Wireline has a 20 percent ownership interest in Valley Network Partnership (“ValleyNet”)2021, representing an increase of 8.2%, which offers fiber network facility capacity to business customers and other telecommunications providers throughout portions of Virginia.

The Wireline operations also provided video services to 4,742 customers and broadband services to 14,464 customers through its own coaxial network, located in Shenandoah County, Virginia, as offrom December 31, 2018.2020. 


OtherTower Reporting Segment


Other provides investingOur Tower segment owns over 220 macro cell towers and management servicesleases colocation space on the towers to wireless communications providers. Substantially all of our owned towers are built on ground that we lease from the Company's subsidiaries.respective landlords.


Competition


The telecommunications industry is highly competitive.  WeBroadband competition
As the incumbent cable provider passing over 211,000 homes, we primarily compete primarily on the basis of the price, availability, reliability, variety and quality of our offerings and on the quality of our customer service.  Our ability to compete effectively depends on our ability to maintain high-quality services at prices competitive with those charged by our competitors.  In particular, price competition in the integrated telecommunications services markets generally has been intense and is expected to continue.  Our competitors include, among others, larger providers such as AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc., T-Mobile USA, Inc., U.S. Cellular Corp., CenturyLink, Inc., Frontier Communications Corp., DISH Network Corporation, DIRECTV, and various other smaller competitive service providers.  Our primary competitors have substantially greater infrastructure, financial, personnel, technical, marketing and other resources, larger numbers of established customers and more prominent name recognition than the Company.

Competition is intense in the wireless communications industry.  Competition has caused the market prices for wireless products and services to decrease. This has resulted in some carriers introducing pricing plans that are structurally different and often more aggressively priced than in the past. Wireless providers are upgrading their wireless services to better accommodate real-time and downloadable audio and video content as well as Internet browsing capabilities and other services. Our ability to compete effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to anticipate and respond to various competitive factors affecting the wireless industry.

In our cable operations where we provide video services, we also compete in the provision of telephone and broadband servicesdirectly against the incumbent local telephone company.  Incumbentcompanies such as Lumen Technologies, Inc. (CenturyLink, Inc.), Frontier Communications Corp. and Verizon, who are generally provisioning broadband services over hybrid fiber and copper-based networks, and indirectly from wireless substitution as the bandwidth speeds from wireless providers have increased with network upgrades to 4th and 5th generation technology. Our Fiber to the Home (“Glo Fiber”) service passes over 75,000 homes and is competing against the incumbent local telephone carriers enjoy substantial competitive advantages arising from their historical monopoly positioncompany such as Verizon with hybrid fiber and copper-based networks and the incumbent cable company such as Comcast utilizing hybrid fiber coaxial networks. Our recently launched fixed wireless broadband service (“Beam”) passes over 28,000 homes and is competing against satellite providers, other fixed wireless providers, mobile wireless service providers and in certain cases the incumbent local telephone market, including pre-existing customer relationshipscompany with virtually all end-users.hybrid fiber and copper-based network.


Competition is also intense and growing in the market for video services. Incumbent cable television companies, which have historically provided video service, face competition from direct broadcast satellite providers such as Dish and DirecTV and on-line video services, such as NetFlix,Netflix, YouTube TV, Hulu, Disney and Amazon, and from large wireline providers of telecommunications services (such as Verizon, CenturyLink, Frontier and AT&T) which have upgraded their networks to provide video services in addition to voice and broadband services.Amazon. Our ability to compete effectively with our competitors in video will depend, in part, on price, content cost and variety and the extent to whichconvenience of our service offerings overlap with our competitors, and on our ability to anticipate and respond to the competitive forces affecting the market for video and other services.offerings.


A continuing trend toward consolidation, mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances in the telecommunications industry could also increase the level of competition we face by further strengthening of our competitors.

4

Table of Contents
Tower competition
We compete with other public tower companies, such as American Tower Co., Crown Castle International Corp., SBA Communications Corp., and private tower companies, private equity sponsored firms, carrier-affiliated tower companies, and owners of other alternative structures. We believe that site location and capacity, price, and leasing terms have been, and will continue to be, significant competitive factors affecting owners, operators and managers of communications sites.

Regulation


Our operations are subject to regulation by the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”), the Virginia State Corporation Commission (“VSCC”), the West Virginia Public Service Commission, the Maryland Public Service Commission, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, the Kentucky Public Service Commission and other federal, state, and local governmental agencies. The laws governing these agencies, and the regulations and policies that they administer, are subject to constant review and revision, and some of these changes could have material impacts on our revenues and expenses.


Regulation of Wireless OperationsBroadband Internet and Cable Video Services


We provide broadband internet, cable and fiber services to residential and business customers in franchise areas covering portions of Virginia, West Virginia, western Maryland, central Pennsylvania and eastern Kentucky.

The provision of cable service generally is subject to regulation by the FCC, and cable operators typically also must comply with the terms of the franchise agreement between the cable operator and the state or local franchising authority. Some states, including Virginia and West Virginia, have enacted regulations and franchise provisions that also can affect certain aspects of a cable operator’s operations. Our business can be significantly impacted by changes to the existing regulatory framework, whether triggered by legislative, administrative, or judicial rulings.

The FCC originally classified broadband Internet access services, such as those we offer, as an information service, which by law exempts the service from traditional common carrier communications laws and regulations. In 2015, the FCC determined that broadband Internet access services, such as those we offer, were a form of telecommunications service under the Communications Act and, on that basis, imposed rules (commonly referred to as "Net Neutrality" rules) banning service providers from blocking access to lawful content, restricting data rates for downloading lawful content, prohibiting the attachment of non-harmful devices, giving special transmission priority to affiliates, and offering third parties the ability to pay for priority routing. The 2015 rules also imposed a transparency requirement, i.e., an obligation to disclose all material terms and conditions of our service to consumers.

In 2017, the FCC adopted an order repudiating its treatment of broadband as a telecommunications service, reclassifying broadband as an information service, and eliminating the 2015 rules other than the transparency requirement, which it eased in significant ways. The FCC also ruled that state regulators may not impose obligations similar to federal obligations that the FCC removed. In 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the information service reclassification, but vacated the FCC’s blanket prohibition of state utility regulation of broadband services. The court left open the possibility that individual state laws could still be deemed preempted on a case-by-case basis if it is shown that they conflict with federal law. In October 2020 the FCC, responding to the court’s remand order, issued a further decision clarifying certain aspects of its earlier order. In this decision the FCC re-classified broadband internet access service as an unregulated information service, thus eliminating all federal regulatory "network neutrality" obligations beyond requiring broadband providers to accurately disclose network management practices, performance, and commercial terms of service. These issues may be revisited by the FCC in the current administration. At the same time, several states (including California, but not anywhere we operate) have adopted state obligations replacing the Internet access (“net neutrality” type) obligations that the FCC removed, and we expect that additional states will consider the imposition of new regulations on Internet services like those that we offer. For example, New York adopted legislation that would have required Internet service providers to offer a discounted Internet service to qualifying low-income consumers, but a federal district judge enjoined enforcement as likely to be deemed rate regulation of Internet service that would be preempted by federal law. Other state laws and regulations may be adopted in the future, but will likely be subject to legal challenges. California’s legislation has been challenged in court. We cannot predict how any such state legislation and court challenges will be resolved. Various governmental jurisdictions are also considering additional regulations in these and other areas, such as privacy, pricing, service and product quality, imposition of local franchise fees on Internet-related revenue and
5

Table of Contents
taxation. The adoption of new Internet regulations or the adaptation of existing laws to the Internet, including potential liability for the infringing activities of Internet subscribers, could adversely affect our business.

Moreover, irrespective of these cases, and as recent history has shown, it is possible that the FCC might further revise its approach to broadband Internet access in the future, or that Congress might enact legislation affecting the rules applicable to the service.

As the Internet has matured, it has become the subject of increasing regulatory interest. Congress and Federal regulators have adopted a wide range of measures directly or potentially affecting Internet use. The adoption of new Internet regulations or policies could adversely affect our business.

On January 29, 2015, the FCC, in a nation-wide proceeding evaluating whether advanced broadband is being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion, increased the minimum connection speeds required to qualify as advanced broadband service to 25 Mbps for downloads and 3 Mbps for uploads. As a result, the FCC concluded that advanced broadband was not being sufficiently deployed and initiated a new inquiry into what steps it might take to encourage broadband deployment. This action may lead the FCC to adopt additional measures affecting our broadband business. The FCC has ongoing proceedings to allocate additional spectrum for advanced wireless service, which could provide additional wireless competition to our broadband business.

Federal and state governments have launched numerous programs to provide subsidies for the construction of high-speed broadband facilities to unserved homes that do not have access to broadband service of 25 Mbps for downloads and 3 Mbps for uploads. The largest of these is the recently enacted $42.5 billion appropriation in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for broadband construction and adoption programs that prioritize currently unserved areas. In addition, funding from the recently adopted American Rescue Plan Act, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, and the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunities Fund, and state programs such as the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI) and West Virginia Broadband Development Fund are likely to subsidize broadband construction to unserved homes.

On January 30, 2020, the FCC adopted an order approving the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) to disburse $20.4 billion over the course of ten years to subsidize the deployment of networks for the provision of high-speed broadband internet access and voice services in unserved areas via a reverse auction, some of which may be directed to competitive providers in some of the states in which we operate. We prevailed as a winning bidder in the first RDOF auction of approximately $5.9 million in Virginia and West Virginia to provide broadband and voice service to unserved areas. Final award of that support is subject to further FCC review of the Company’s long-form application and supporting materials. In addition, our ability to receive this support is dependent upon satisfying network build out, service delivery and other obligations under FCC regulations. Following release of the auction award winners, the FCC asked some companies to reconsider whether the areas they targeted for deployment were in fact unserved. We have considered that question in certain areas where the company won RDOF funding and have filed a request with the FCC seeking relief from the obligations to build networks in certain areas that will soon be, or already are, served by other providers. We may be subject to penalties or other adverse action if the FCC does not grant the requested relief.

In 2021, Congress passed the America Rescue Plan Act that provided $1.0 billion in funding to the states in which we operate for broadband infrastructure expansion. In November 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that will provide an additional $42.5 billion to states to fund broadband construction and adoption programs that prioritize the expansion of high-speed broadband to unserved markets across the country. With the influx of government grants now available to subsidize broadband fiber to the home (FTTH) construction, we decided to cease our expansion of our Beam fixed wireless businessnetwork as it is not designed to compete against the faster broadband services offered by fiber networks. Competitors that are awarded funds to serve unserved areas near our network may by necessity or choice build new facilities that pass through our existing service territories, which could result in increased competition for our broadband service offerings. Federal Treasury guidance on utilizing funds will be based on a broadband definition of 100 mbps download and 20 mbps upload speeds. These speeds could limit the efficiency of utilizing some types of broadband services like fixed wireless. These definitions and the competitive bidding for build out to underserved markets by other internet service providers could put at risk our current fixed wireless deployments, including the plans to build out our RDOF awarded bids.

Our Beam Internet service is provisioned over a fixed wireless network using radio spectrum madelicensed, or available by Sprint underto, the Sprint Management Agreement.  Our wireless businessCompany. Beam Internet service is directly or indirectly subject to or affected by, a number of regulations and requirementsmany of the same regulations discussed in
6

Table of Contents
this section, including but not limited to spectrum allocation and licensing, disclosure of network management practices, consumer privacy, cybersecurity, facilities siting, pole attachments, accessibility and various consumer protection requirements.

Pricing and Packaging. Our cable services are no longer subject to rate regulation and our Internet services have never been rate-regulated. In December 2020 these services became subject to a federal law requiring itemization of certain charges in notices and invoices to customers, and we must also comply with generally-applicable marketing and advertising requirements. Congress and the FCC from time to time have considered imposing new pricing, packaging and other governmental authoritiesconsumer protection restrictions on cable operators. We cannot predict whether or when any such new marketing restrictions may be imposed on us or what effect they would have on our ability to provide cable service.

Must-Carry/Retransmission Consent. Local broadcast television stations can require a cable operator to carry their signals pursuant to federal “must-carry” requirements. Alternatively, local television stations may require that applya cable operator obtain “retransmission consent” for carriage of the station’s signal, which can enable a popular local television station to providers of commercial mobile radio services (“CMRS”).obtain concessions from the cable operator for the right to carry the station’s signal. Although some local television stations today are carried by cable operators under the must-carry obligation, popular broadcast network affiliated stations, such as ABC, CBS, FOX, CW and NBC, typically are carried pursuant to retransmission consent agreements. The retransmission consent costs charged by broadcast networks affiliate stations have increased dramatically over the past decade. We cannot predict the extent to which such retransmission consent costs may increase in the future or the effect such cost increases may have on our ability to provide cable service.


Interconnection. Federal lawCopyright Fees. Cable operators pay compulsory copyright fees, in addition to possible retransmission consent fees, to retransmit broadcast programming. Although the cable compulsory copyright license has been in place for more than 45 years, there have been legislative and FCCregulatory proposals to modify or even replace the compulsory license with privately negotiated licenses. We cannot predict whether such proposals will be enacted and how they might affect our business.

Programming Costs. Non-broadcast channels (including satellite-delivered cable programming, such as ESPN, HBO and the Discovery Channel) are not subject to must-carry/retransmission consent regulations impose certain obligations on CMRS providers to interconnect their networks with other telecommunications providers (eitheror a compulsory copyright license. The Company negotiates directly or indirectly) and to enter into interconnection agreementsthrough the National Cable Television Cooperative (“ICAs”NCTC”) with certain typesthese cable programmers for the right to carry their programming. The cost of telecommunications providers.  Interconnection agreements typically are negotiated onacquiring the right to carry cable programming can increase as programmers demand rate increases.

Franchise Matters. Cable and FTTH operators generally must apply for and obtain non-exclusive franchises from local or state franchising authorities before providing video and data services. The terms and conditions of franchises vary among jurisdictions, but franchises generally last for a statewide basisfixed term and are subject to state approval.  If an agreement cannot be reached, in certain cases partiesrenewal, require the cable operator to interconnection negotiations involving CMRS providers can submit unresolved issues to federal or state regulators for arbitration.  In addition, FCC regulations previously required that local exchange carriers (“LECs”) and CMRS providers establish reciprocal compensation arrangements for the terminationcollect a franchise fee of traffic to one another.  Disputes regarding intercarrier compensation can be brought in a number of forums (depending on the nature and jurisdictionas much as 5% of the dispute) including state public utility commissions (“PUCs”), FCCcable operator’s gross revenue from video services, and the courts.  The Company does not presently have any material interconnection or intercarrier compensation disputes with respect to its wireless operations.

On October 27, 2011, the FCC adopted a reportcontain certain service quality and order which comprehensively reformed and modernized the agency’s intercarrier compensation (“ICC”) rules governing the telecommunications industry.  Under the current FCC regime, since December 29, 2011, local traffic between CMRS providers and most LECs must be compensated pursuant to a default bill-and-keep framework if there was no pre-existing agreement between the CMRS provider and the LEC.  A federal appeals court has affirmed the FCC’s report and order.  Additionally, the FCC is considering a number of petitions for declaratory ruling and other proceedings regarding disputes among carriers relating to interconnection paymentcustomer service obligations. During 2017 the FCC initiated a further proceeding to consider whether additional changes to interconnection obligations are needed, including how and where companies interconnect their networks with the networks of other providers. Resolution of these proceedings and any additional FCC rules regarding interconnection could directly affect us in the future.  Interconnection costs represent a significant expense item for us and any significant changes in the intercarrier compensation scheme may have a material impact on our business.  We are unable to determine with any certainty at this time whether any such changes would be beneficial to or detrimental to our wireless operations.

On December 18, 2014, the FCC issued a declaratory ruling which provides additional guidance concerning how the agency will evaluate the reasonableness of data roaming agreements.  The agency clarifiedbelieve that it will consider the reasonableness of data roaming rates based upon, in part, whether such rates exceed retail, international and resale rates, as well as how such rates compare to other providers’ rates.  The ruling also clarifies other aspects of the FCC’s 2011 data roaming order concerning the appropriate presumptions applied to certain contract terms and the inclusion

of build-out terms when considering the reasonableness of roaming rates and terms.  The ruling is expected to provide improved negotiating leverage to Sprint, and other providers, in negotiating new data roaming agreements with AT&T and Verizon.   It is unclear whether such leverage will result in lower data roaming rates for Sprint, or whether such reduced rates will accrue to the benefit of our operations.  There is also a possibility that the ruling could provide a basis for smaller wireless providers to seek more beneficial terms in their roaming agreements with Sprint, which may impact roaming costs in our territory.

Universal Service Contribution Requirements. Consistent with the terms of our Management Agreement, Sprint is required to contribute to the federal universal service fund (the “USF”) based in part on the revenues it earns in connection with our wireless operations. The purpose of this fund is to subsidize telecommunications and broadband services in rural areas, for low-income consumers and for schools, libraries and rural healthcare facilities.  Sprint is permitted to, and does, pass through these mandated payments as surcharges paid by its subscribers.

Transfers, Assignments and Changes of Control of Spectrum Licenses.  The FCC must give prior approval to the assignment of ownership or control of a spectrum license, as well as transfers involving substantial changes in such ownership or control.  The FCC also requires licensees to maintain effective working control over their licenses.  Our Sprint Affiliate Agreement reflects an alliance that the parties believe meets the FCC requirements for licensee control of licensed spectrum.  If the FCC were to determine that the Sprint Affiliate Agreement should be modified to increase the level of licensee control, we have agreed with Sprint to use our best efforts to modify the agreement as necessary to cause the agreement to comply with applicable law and to preserve to the extent possible the economic arrangements set forth in the agreement.  If the agreement cannot be modified, the agreement may be terminated pursuant to the terms.  The FCC could also impose sanctions on the Company for failure to meet these requirements.

Spectrum licenses are granted for ten-year terms.  Sprint’s spectrum licenses for our service area are scheduled to expire on various dates throughout the term of our Sprint Affiliate Agreements.  Pursuant to recently adopted changes concerning wireless license renewals, spectrum licensees have an expectation of license renewal if they can satisfy three "safe harbor" certifications which, if made, will result in routine processing and grant of the license renewal application. Those certifications require the licensee to certify that it has satisfied any ongoing provision of service requirements applicable to the spectrum license, that it has not permanently discontinued operations (defined as 180 days continuously off the air), and that it has substantially complied with applicable rules and policies. If for some reason a licensee cannot meet these safe harbor requirements, it can file a detailed renewal showing based on the actual service provided by the station.  All of the PCS licenses used in our wireless business have been successfully renewed since their initial grant.

Construction and Operation of Wireless Facilities. Wireless systems must comply with certain FCC and Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) regulations regarding the registration, siting, marking, lighting and construction of transmitter towers and antennas.  The FCC also requires that aggregate radio frequency emissions from every site meet certain standards.  These regulations affect site selection for new network build-outs and may increase the costs of improving our network.  We cannot predict what impact the costs and delays from these regulations could have on our operations.

The construction of new towers, and in some cases the modification of existing towers, may also be subject to environmental review pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (“NEPA”), which requires federal agencies to evaluate the environmental impacts of their decisions under some circumstances.  FCC regulations implementing NEPA place responsibility on each applicant to investigate any potential environmental effects of a proposed operation, including health effects relating to radio frequency emissions, and impacts on endangered species such as certain migratory birds, and to disclose any significant effects on the environment to the agency prior to commencing construction.  In the event that the FCC determines that a proposed tower would have a significant environmental impact, the FCC would require preparation of an environmental impact statement, which would be subject to public comment.

In addition, tower construction is subject to regulations implementing the National Historic Preservation Act.  Compliance with FAA, environmental or historic preservation requirements could significantly delay or prevent the registration or construction of a particular tower or make tower construction more costly.  On July 15, 2016, Congress enacted new tower marking requirements for certain towers located in rural areas, which may increase our operational costs. However, statutory changes adopted by Congress in the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act may ameliorate or mitigate some of those costs. In some jurisdictions, local laws or regulations may impose similar requirements.

Wireless Facilities Siting. States and localities are authorized to engage in forms of regulation, including zoning and land-use regulation, which may affect our ability to selectobtain franchise or our franchise renewal prospects are generally favorable but cannot guarantee the initial franchise award or future renewal of any individual franchise. A significant number of states today have processes in place for obtaining state-wide franchises, and modify sites for wireless facilities. Stateslegislation and localities

may not engageregulation have been introduced from time to time in forms of regulation that effectively prohibit the provision of wireless services, discriminate among functionally equivalent services or regulate the placement, construction or operation of wireless facilities on the basis of the environmental effects of radio frequency emissions. Courts andCongress, the FCC, are routinely askedand in various states, including those in which we provide some form of video or data service, that would modify franchising processes, potentially lowering barriers to review whether stateentry and increasing competition in the marketplace for video services. The states in which we currently operate largely leave franchising responsibility in the hands of local zoningmunicipalities and land-use actions should be preempted by federal law,counties, but they govern the local government entities’ award of such franchises and the FCC also is routinely asked to consider other issues affecting wireless facilities siting in other proceedings.their conduct of franchise negotiations. We cannot predict the outcomeextent to which these rules and other developments will accelerate the pace of these proceedingsnew entry into the video or data market or the effect, if any, they may have on us.our FTTH and cable operations.


Communications AssistanceFederal law imposes a 5% cap on franchise fees. In 2019, the FCC clarified that the value of in-kind contribution requirements set forth in cable franchises (such as channel capacity set aside for Law Enforcement Act. public, educational and governmental (PEG) use or free cable service to public buildings) is subject to the statutory cap on franchise fees, and it reaffirmed that state and local authorities are barred from imposing franchise fees on cable systems providing non-cable services such as Internet services. Those rules were upheld by a federal court in 2021 but the court limited the amount of the in-kind franchise fee contribution credit to the operator’s marginal costs rather than its market valuation.

7

Table of Contents
Pole Attachments. The Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (“CALEA”requires investor-owned ("IO") was enacted in 1994 to preserve electronic surveillance capabilities by law enforcement officials in the face of rapidly changing telecommunications technology.  CALEA requires telecommunications carriersutilities and broadband providers, including the Company, to modify their equipment, facilities and services to allow for authorized electronic surveillance based on either industry or FCC standards.  Following adoption of interim standards and a lengthy rulemaking proceeding, including an appeal and remand proceeding, all carriers were required to be in compliance with the CALEA requirements as of June 30, 2002.  The FCC extended CALEA obligations to VoIP and broadband services in 2005. We are currently in compliance with the CALEA requirements.

Local Number Portability.   All covered CMRS providers, including the Company, are required to allow wireless customers to retain their existing telephone numbers when switching from one telecommunications carrier to another.  These rules are generally referred to as wireless local number portability (“LNP”).  The future volume of any porting requests, and the processing costs related thereto, may increase our operating costs in the future. We are currently in compliance with LNP requirements.  The FCC has selected a new Local Number Portability Administrator, and the transition to a new Local Number Portability Administrator may impact our ability to manage number porting and related tasks, or may result in additional costs related to the transition.

Number Pooling.  The FCC regulates the assignment and use of telephone numbers by wireless and other telecommunications carriers to preserve numbering resources.  CMRS providersprovide cable systems with access to poles and conduits and simultaneously subjects the rates, terms and conditions of access to either federal or state regulation. The FCC rules do not directly affect pole attachment rates in the top 100 markets are required to be capable of sharing blocks of 10,000 numbers among themselves in subsets of 1,000 numbers (“1000s-block number pooling”);states that self-regulate (rather than allow the FCC considersto regulate) pole rates, but many of those states have substantially the same rate for cable and telecommunications attachments. Kentucky, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, three states in which we operate, self-regulate IO pole attachments but do so in using essentially the same rate formula and other pole attachment rules as the FCC. The FCC pole attachment rules also do not govern government or cooperatively owned utilities. States, however, are free to regulate such utilities and some do. Of the states in which Shentel operates, Virginia and Kentucky currently regulate cooperatively owned pole attachments. In 2018, the FCC interpreted another federal law governing state requestsand local regulation of public rights of way to implement 1000s-block number pooling in smaller marketsimpose cost-based limitations on what government entities may charge for pole attachments. This interpretation was upheld against challenge by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

In 2018, the FCC adopted rules to permit a case-by-case basis,"one-touch" make-ready process for poles subject to its jurisdiction. The "one touch" make-ready rules allow new attachers to alter certain components of existing attachments for "simple make-ready" (i.e. where the alteration of existing attachments does not involve a reasonable expectation of a service outage, splicing, pole replacement or relocation of a wireless attachment). The rules are intended to promote broadband deployment and has granted such requests in the past.  In addition, all CMRS carriers, including those operating outside the top 100 markets, must be able to support roaming calls on their network placedcompetition by users with pooled numbers.  Wireless carriers must also maintain detailed recordsfacilitating competing communications providers' service deployment. Certain aspects of the numbers they have used, subject to audit.  The pooling requirements may impose additional costs and increase operating expenses on us and limit our access to numbering resources. Werules are currently in compliance withstill pending reconsideration at the FCC number pooling requirements.

Telecommunications Relay Services (“TRS”). Federal law requires wireless service providers to take steps to enableFCC. Other aspects were upheld against challenge by the hearing impaired and other disabled persons to have reasonable access to wireless services.  The FCC has adopted rules and regulations implementing this requirement to which we are subject, and requires that we pay a regulatory assessment to support such telecommunications relay servicesUnited States Court of Appeals for the disabled.  The Company is in compliance withNinth Circuit. Although Kentucky, West Virginia and Pennsylvania self-regulate, each of these requirements.states have adopted the FCC’s “one touch” make-ready rules.


Consumer Privacy.The Company is subject to various federal and state laws intended to protect the privacy of end-users who subscribe to the Company’s services. For example, the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the “Communications Act”), limits our ability to collect, use, and disclose customers’ personally identifiable information for our cable television/video, voice, and Internet services. We are subject to additional federal, state, and local laws and regulations that impose additional restrictions on the collection, use and disclosure of consumer information. Further, the FCC, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), and many states regulate and restrict the marketing practices of communications service providers, including telemarketing and sending unsolicited commercial emails. The FCC also has regulations that place restrictions on the permissible uses that we can make of customer-specific information, known as Customer Proprietary Network Information (“CPNI”), received from telecommunications service subscribers, and that govern procedures for release of such information in order to prevent identity theft schemes. Other laws impose criminal and other penalties for the violation of certain CPNI requirements and related privacy protections. The FCC or other regulators may expand these duties. For example, the FCC is currently considering a proposal to expand the CPNI breach reporting obligations for VoIP and telecommunications providers.


As a result of the FCC’s December 2017 decision to reclassify broadband Internet access service as an “information service,” the FTC has the authority to enforce against unfair or deceptive acts and practices, to protect the privacy of Internet service customers, including our use and disclosure of certain customer information.


After the repeal of the FCC’s 2016 privacy rules through the Congressional Review Act, manyMany states and local authorities have considered legislative or other actions that would impose additional restrictions on our ability to collect, use and disclose certain information. Despite languageCalifornia’s Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and associated regulations, which became effective in 2020, and the FCC’s December 2017 decision reclassifying broadband InternetCalifornia Privacy Rights Act, which amended the CCPA and comes into effect in January 2023, under certain circumstances regulate the collection, use, retention, sale and disclosure of the personal information of California consumers, grants California consumers certain rights to, among other things, access, service as an “information service” that preemptscorrect and delete data about them in certain circumstances, and authorizes enforcement actions by the California Attorney General, the new California Privacy Protection Agency, and certain limited private class actions. Compliance with the CCPA may increase the cost of providing our services to customers who may be residents in California and increase our litigation exposure. In 2020 the Virginia State government enacted a new consumer privacy law. Firms are expected to come into compliance by January 2023. The Virginia privacy law imposes requirements on companies, like Shentel, regarding the handling of consumer data, including a requirement to conduct data protection impact assessments; obtain opt-in consent from consumers to use sensitive personal information; and allow consumers to access, delete, correct, and port their data, among other things. We will be working through 2022 to bring operations in compliance with the new Virginia law. In 2021, Colorado enacted the Colorado Privacy Act, modeled largely after its predecessor in Virginia and in part after the CCPA , which will go into effect on July 1, 2023. We expect continued federal and other state and local privacy regulations that conflict with federal policy, we expect these state and local efforts to regulate online privacy, to continue in 2019. Additionally, several state legislatures are considering the adoption of new data security and cybersecurity legislation that could resultto continue in additional network and information security requirements for our business. There are also bills pending in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate that could impose new privacy and data security obligations.2022. We cannot predict whether

any of these efforts will be successful, or preempted, or how new legislation and regulations, if any, would affect our businessbusiness. These efforts have the

8

Table of Contents
Our operations are also subjectpotential to create a patchwork of differing and/or conflicting state and/or federal regulations, and state laws governing information security.  Into increase the eventcost of an information security breach, such rules may require consumer and government agency notification and may result in regulatory enforcement actions with the potential of monetary forfeitures.providing our services.


In addition, restrictions exist, and new restrictions are considered from time to time by Congress, federal agencies and states, on the extent to which wireless customers may receive unsolicited telemarketing calls, text messages, junk e-mail or spam. Congress, federal agencies and certain states also are considering, and may in the future consider imposing, additional requirements on entities that possess consumer information to protect the privacy of consumers. The Company is required to file an annual certification of compliance with the FCC’s CPNI rules. Complying with these requirements may impose costs on the Company or compel the Company to alter the way it provides or promotes its services.


Consumer Protection.  Many members of the wireless industry, including us, have voluntarily committed to comply with the Cellular Telecommunication and Internet Association ("CTIA") Consumer Code for Wireless Service, which includes consumer protection provisions regarding the content and format of bills; advance disclosures regarding rates, terms of service, contract provisions, and network coverage; and the right to terminate service after a trial period or after changes to contract provisions are implemented.  The FCC and/or certain state commissions have considered or are considering imposing additional consumer protection requirements upon wireless service providers, including billing-related disclosures and usage alerts, as well as the adoption of standards for responses to customers and limits on early termination fees.  On December 12, 2013, CTIA filed a letter with the FCC detailing voluntary commitments by large wireless providers, including Sprint, which will permit subscribers and former subscribers to unlock their mobile devices, subject to contract fulfillment time frames for postpaid plans, or after one year for prepaid plans.  The carriers have agreed to fully implement the voluntary commitments within 12 months of adoption.  Subsequently, on February 11, 2014, CTIA-The Wireless Association adopted six standards on mobile wireless device unlocking into the CTIA Consumer Code for Wireless Service.  Finally, on August 1, 2014, the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act was enacted to make it easier for consumers to change their cell phone service providers without paying for a new phone.  This new statute reverses a decision made by the Library of Congress in 2012 that said it was illegal for consumers to “unlock” their cell phones for use on other networks without their service provider’s permission. Adoption of these and other similar consumer protection requirements could increase the expenses or decrease the revenue of the Company's wireless business. Courts have also had, and in the future may continue to have, an effect on the extent to which matters pertaining to the content and format of wireless bills can be regulated at the state level.  Any further changes to these and similar requirements could increase our costs of doing business and our costs of acquiring and retaining customers.

Net Neutrality.  For information concerning the FCC’s non-discrimination requirements for wireless broadband providers, see the discussion under “Regulation of Wireline Operations - Broadband Services / Net Neutrality”.

Radio Frequency Emission from Handsets.  Some studies (and media reports) have suggested that radio frequency emissions from handsets, wireless data devices and cell sites may raise various health concerns, including cancer, and may interfere with various electronic medical devices, including hearing aids and pacemakers.  Most of the expert reviews conducted to date have concluded that the evidence does not support a finding of adverse health effects but that further research is appropriate.  Courts have dismissed a number of lawsuits filed against other wireless service operators and manufacturers, asserting claims relating to radio frequency transmissions to and from handsets and wireless data devices.  However, there can be no assurance that the outcome of other lawsuits, or general public concerns over these issues, will not have a material adverse effect on the wireless industry, including us.

Accessibility. The FCC imposes obligations on telecommunications service providers and multi-channel video programming distributors ("MVPDs"), intended to ensure that individuals with disabilities are able to access and use telecommunications and video programming services and equipment. FCC rules require telecommunications service providers, including wireless providers, to be capable of transmitting 911 calls from persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech disabled, including through text telephone ("TTY") capability over the public switched telephone network ("PSTN"), various forms of PSTN-based and internet protocol ("IP")-based TRS, and text-to-911 (where available).  The FCC rules allow wireless telecommunications service providers to transition to use of real time text ("RTT") in lieu of TTY technology for communications using wireless IP-based voice services. In addition, telecommunications services, including Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP"), and advanced communications services ("ACS") (such as email and text messaging) must be accessible to and usable by disabled persons, including by ensuring

that email and texts are compatible with commonly used screen readers, unless doing so is not achievable.  FCC rules require that customer support for covered telecommunications and ACS services (including website based) is accessible and also imposes extensive recordkeeping for both telecommunications services and ACS, and subject providers to significant penalties for non-compliance with accessibility requirements as well as for falsely certifying compliance with recordkeeping obligations. Existing FCC rules also require us to offer a minimum number of hearing aid-compatible (“HAC”) handsets to consumers.  The FCC recently adopted rules that update technical specifications for HAC handsets and extend HAC compatibility requirements to VoIP handsets.  FCC rules also require video programming delivered on MVPD systems to be closed captioned unless exempt and require MVPDs to pass through captions to consumers and to take all steps needed to monitor and maintain equipment to ensure that captioning reaches the consumer intact. Video programming delivered over the Internet must be captioned if it was delivered previously on television with captions. An MVPD must also pass through audio description provided in broadcast and non-broadcast programming if it has the technical capability to do so, unless it is using the required technology for another purpose. FCC rules also require MVPDs to ensure that critical details about emergencies conveyed in video programming are accessible to persons with disabilities, and that video programming guides are accessible to persons who are blind or visually impaired. We cannot predict if or when additional changes will be made to the current FCC accessibility rules, or whether and how such changes will affect us.


911Voice over Internet Protocol "VoIP" Services.  We are subject to FCC rules that require wireless carriers to make emergency 911 services available to their subscribers, including enhanced 911 services that convey the caller’s telephone number and detailed location information to emergency responders.  The FCC has also sought public comment to investigate further requirements regarding the accuracy of wireless location information transmitted during an emergency 911 call.  Additionally, the FCC adopted rules requiring all wireless carriers to support the ability of consumers to send text messages to 911 in all areas of the country where 911 Public Safety Answering Points (“PSAP”) are capable of receiving text messages.  Also, in May 2013, the FCC adopted rules which require CMRS providers to provide an automatic “bounce-back” text message when a subscriber attempts to send a text message to 911 in a location where text-to-911 is not available.  In August 2014, the FCC ordered that all CMRS and interconnected text providers must be capable of supporting text-to-911 by December 31, 2014.  Such covered text providers had until June 30, 2015, to begin delivering text-to-911 messages to PSAPs that have submitted requests for such delivery by December 31, 2014, unless otherwise agreed with the PSAP, and six months to begin delivery after any such request made after December 31, 2014.  We are not able to predict the effect that these, or any other, changes to the 911 service rules will have on our operations.

Regulation of Cable Television, Interconnected VoIP and Other Video Service Operations

We provide cable services to customers in franchise areas covering portions of Virginia, West Virginia and western Maryland.

The provision of cable service generally is subject to regulation by the FCC, and cable operators typically also must comply with the terms of the franchise agreement between the cable operator and the local franchising authority.  Some states, including Virginia and West Virginia, have enacted regulations and franchise provisions that also can affect certain aspects of a cable operator’s operations. Our business can be significantly impacted by changes to the existing regulatory framework, whether triggered by legislative, administrative, or judicial rulings.

Pricing and Packaging.  Federal law limits cable rate regulation solely to communities that lack “effective competition,” as defined by federal regulation.  In the absence of effective competition, federal law authorizes local franchising authorities to regulate the monthly rates charged for the minimum level of video programming service (the “basic service tier”) and for the installation, sale and lease of equipment used by end users to receive the basic service tier.  None of our local franchise authorities presently regulate our rates. Congress and the FCC from time to time have considered imposing new pricing and packaging restrictions on cable operators.  We cannot predict whether or when such new pricing and packaging restrictions may be imposed on us or what effect they would have on our ability to provide cable service.

Must-Carry/Retransmission Consent. Local broadcast television stations can require a cable operator to carry their signals pursuant to federal “must-carry” requirements. Alternatively, local television stations may require that a cable operator obtain “retransmission consent” for carriage of the station’s signal, which can enable a popular local television station to obtain concessions from the cable operator for the right to carry the station’s signal. Although some local television stations today are carried by cable operators under the must-carry obligation, popular broadcast network affiliated stations, such as ABC, CBS, FOX, CW and NBC, typically are carried pursuant to retransmission consent agreements. The retransmission consent costs charged by broadcast networks affiliate stations are increasing rapidly.

We cannot predict the extent to which such retransmission consent costs may increase in the future or the effect such cost increases may have on our ability to provide cable service.

Copyright Fees. Cable operators pay compulsory copyright fees, in addition to possible retransmission consent fees, to retransmit broadcast programming.  Although the cable compulsory copyright license has been in place for more than 40 years, there have been legislative and regulatory proposals to modify or even replace the compulsory license with privately negotiated licenses. We cannot predict whether such proposals will be enacted and how they might affect our business.

Programming Costs.  Satellite-delivered cable programming, such as ESPN, HBO and the Discovery Channel, is not subject to must-carry/retransmission consent regulations or a compulsory copyright license.  The Company negotiates directly or through the National Cable Television Cooperative (“NCTC”) with satellite-delivered cable programmers for the right to carry their programming.  The cost of acquiring the right to carry satellite-delivered cable programming can increase as programmers demand rate increases. 

Franchise Matters. Cable operators generally must apply for and obtain non-exclusive franchises from local or state franchising authorities before providing video service.  The terms and conditions of franchises vary among jurisdictions, but franchises generally last for a fixed term and are subject to renewal, require the cable operator to collect a franchise fee of as much as 5% of the cable operator’s gross revenue from video services, and contain certain service quality and customer service obligations.  A significant number of states today have processes in place for obtaining state-wide franchises, and legislation and regulation have been introduced from time to time in Congress, the FCC, and in various states, including those in which we provide some form of video service, that would require the implementation of state-wide franchising processes, potentially lowering barriers to entry and increasing competition in the marketplace for video services.  Virginia's franchising statute largely leaves franchising responsibility in the hands of local municipalities and counties, but it governs the local government entities’ award of such franchises and their conduct of franchise negotiations.  We cannot predict the extent to which these rules and other developments will accelerate the pace of new entry into the video market or the effect, if any, they may have on our cable operations.

Leased Access/PEG. The Communications Act permits franchising authorities to require cable operators to set aside channels for public, education and governmental access (“PEG”) programming.  The Communications Act also requires certain cable systems to make available a portion of their capacity for commercial leased access by third parties.  The FCC is currently conducting proceedings that may impact commercial leased access and PEG access usage. Increases in the amount of such access usage could reduce the number of channels available to us to provide other types of programming to subscribers.

Pole Attachments. The Communications Act requires investor-owned utilities to provide cable systems with access to poles and conduits and simultaneously subjects the rates charged for this access to either federal or state regulation. In 2011 and again in 2015, the FCC amended its existing pole attachment rules to promote broadband deployment. The 2011 order allows for new penalties in certain cases involving unauthorized attachments, but generally strengthens the cable industry’s ability to access investor-owned utility poles on reasonable rates, terms and conditions. Additionally, the 2011 order reduces the federal rate formula previously applicable to “telecommunications” attachments to closely approximate the rate formula applicable to “cable” attachments. The 2015 order, which was affirmed following an appeal by utility pole owners, continues that rate reconciliation, effectively closing the remaining “loophole” that potentially allowed for significantly higher rates for telecommunications attachments in certain scenarios, and minimizing the rate consequences of any of our services being deemed “telecommunications” for pole attachment purposes. Neither the 2011 order nor the 2015 order directly affect the rate in states that self-regulate (rather than allow the FCC to regulate) pole rates, but many of those states have substantially the same rate for cable and telecommunications attachments.

In August 2018, the FCC adopted rules, scheduled to become effective thirty (30) days after Office of Management and Budget approval, to permit a "one-touch" make-ready process for poles subject to its jurisdiction. The "one touch" make-ready rules allow new attachers to alter certain components of existing attachments for "simple make-ready" (i.e. where the alteration of existing attachments does not involve a reasonable expectation of a service outage, splicing, pole replacement or relocation of a wireless attachment). The rules are intended to promote broadband deployment and competition by facilitating communications attachments, although there are concerns regarding potential damage to existing networks by third parties. Utility pole owners have appealed the rules to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. We cannot predict the effect that these rules will have on our business when they ultimately take effect.


Broadband Services. For information concerning the regulation of Broadband services, see the related discussions under “Regulation of Wireline Operations.”

Net Neutrality.  For information concerning the FCC’s non-discrimination requirements for fixed broadband providers, see the discussion under “Regulation of Wireline Operations - Broadband Services / Net Neutrality.”

Privacy. For information concerning the privacy obligations of our Broadband service, see the discussion under “Regulation of Wireless Operations - Consumer Privacy.”

VoIP Services. We provide voice communications services over our cable network utilizing interconnected VoIP technology and service arrangements. Although similar to telephone service in some ways, our VoIP service arrangement utilizes different technology and is subject to many of the same rules and regulations applicable to traditional telephone service. The FCC order adopted on October 27, 2011 established rules governing intercarrier compensation payments for the origination and termination of telephone traffic between carriers and VoIP providers. In May 2014 the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld the FCC order reducing intercarrier compensation payments. The rules have substantially decreased intercarrier compensation payments we may have otherwise received over a multi-year period. The decreases over the multi-year transition have affected both the amounts that we pay to telecommunications carriers and the amounts that we receive from other carriers. The schedule and magnitude of these decreases, however, has varied depending on the nature of the carriers and the telephone traffic at issue. These changes have had a negative impact on our revenues and expenses for voice services at particular times over this multi-year period.


Further regulatory changes are being considered that could impact our VoIP service. The FCC and state regulatory authorities are considering,have considered, for example, whether certain common carrier regulations traditionally applied to incumbent local exchange carriers (including RLECs) should be modified or reduced, and the extent to which common carrier requirements should be extended to VoIP providers. The FCC has already determined that certainrequired VoIP providers of voice services using Internet Protocol technology mustto comply with requirements relatingseveral regulations that apply to other telephone services, including 911 emergency services, CALEA, USFthe Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act ("CALEA"), Universal Service Fund ("USF") contribution, customer privacy and CPNI issues, number portability, network outage, rural call completion, disability access, battery backup, robocall mitigation, regulatory fees, and discontinuance of service. We cannot predict whether the FCC will impose additional obligations on our VoIP services in the future.

Our VoIP telephone services are also subject to certain state and local regulatory fees such as E911 fees and contributions to state universal service funds. Although we believe that VoIP telephone services should otherwise be governed only by federal regulation, some states have attempted to subject cable VoIP services to state level regulation. In March 2007, a federal appeals court affirmed the FCC’s decision concerning federal regulation of certain VoIP services, but declined to specifically find that VoIP service provided by cable companies, such as we provide, should be regulated only at the federal level. As a result, certain states, including West Virginia, began proceedings to subject cable VoIP services to state-level regulation. Although the West Virginia proceeding concluded without any new state-level regulation, it is difficult to predict whether it, or other state regulators, will continue to attempt to regulate our VoIP service. For example, the Minnesota PUC recently attemptedSome other state attempts to regulate another cable operator's VoIP servicehave been blocked by federal courts on the basis of the FCC’s preemption of certain state regulations or on the basis that VoIP services are information services, but as a telecommunications service, although that was recently reversed by a federal appellate court. with Internet services, there is uncertainty as to the extent to which courts will preempt state regulation in the future.
9

Table of Contents

We have registered with, or obtained certificates or authorizations from, the FCC and the state regulatory authorities in those states in which we offer competitive voice services in order to ensure the continuity of our services and to maintain needed network interconnection arrangements. It is not clear how the FCC Order to reclassify wireline and wireless broadband services as Title II common carrier services, and pursuant to Section 706, will affect the regulatory status of our VoIP services.  Further, it is also unclear whether and how these and other ongoing regulatory matters ultimately will be resolved.


Prospective competitors of Shenandoah Cable Television, LLC (Shentel Cable), a subsidiary of the Company, may also receive disbursements from the USF.  Some of those competitors have requested USF support under the Connect America Fund to build broadband facilities in areas already served by Shentel Cable.  Although Shentel Cable has opposed such requests where we offer service, we cannot predict whether the FCC or another agency will grant such requests or otherwise fund broadband service in areas already served by the company.

Other Issues. Our ability to provide cablevideo service may be affected by a wide range of additional regulatory and related issues, including FCC regulations pertaining to licensing of systems and facilities, set-top boxes, equipment compatibility, program exclusivity blackouts, commercial leased access of video channels by unaffiliated third parties, advertising, maintenance of online public files, accessibility to persons with disabilities, emergency alerts, pole attachments, equal employment opportunity, privacy, consumer protection, and technical standards. In addition, proceedings beforeFurther, the FCC and state regulatory bodies have examinedrecently adopted a plan to reallocate for other purposes certain spectrum currently used by satellite providers to deliver video programming to individual cable systems, which could be disruptive to the rates that cable operators must paysatellite video delivery platform we rely upon to use utility poles and conduits, and other terms and conditions of pole attachment agreements. Pole attachment costs are significant and changes in pole attachment regulation and the resulting rates could have an adverse impact onprovide our operations.video services. We cannot predict the nature and pace of these and other developments or the effect they may have on our operations.


Regulation of Wireline OperationsShenandoah Telephone Company ("Shenandoah Telephone")


As anState Regulation. Shenandoah Telephone Company is a rural incumbent local exchange carrier ("ILEC"(“RLEC”), serving Shenandoah Telephone Company’s (“Shenandoah Telephone”) operations are regulated by federalCounty, Virginia and state regulatory agencies.

State Regulation.portions of Rockingham and Augusta County Virginia. Shenandoah Telephone’s rates for local exchange service, intrastate toll service, and intrastate access charges are subject to the approval of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, ("VSCC"). The VSCC also establishes and oversees implementation of certain provisions of the federal and state telecommunications laws, including interconnection requirements, promotion of competition, and consumer protection standards. The VSCC also regulates rates, service areas, service standards, accounting methods, affiliated transactions and certain other financial transactions. Pursuant to the FCC’s October 27, 2011 order adopting comprehensive reforms to the federal intercarrier compensation and universal service policies and rules (as discussed above and further below), the FCC preempted state regulatory commissions’ jurisdiction over all terminating access charges, including intrastate terminating access charges, which historically have been within the states’ jurisdiction. However, the FCC vested in the states the obligation to monitor the tariffing of intrastate rate reductions for a transition period, to oversee interconnection negotiations and arbitrations, and to determine the network edge, subject to FCC guidance, for purposes of the new “bill-and-keep” framework. A federal appeals court has affirmed the decision. The outcome of those further challenges could modify or delay the effectiveness of the FCC’s rule changes. DuringIn 2017 the FCC initiated a further proceeding to consider whether additional changes to interconnection obligations are needed, including how and where companies interconnect their networks with the networks of other providers. Although we are unable to predict the ultimate effect that the FCC’s order will have on the state regulatory landscape or our operations, the rules may decrease or eliminate revenue sources or otherwise limit our ability to recover the full value of our network assets.


Interconnection. Federal law and FCC regulations impose certain obligations on incumbent local exchange carriers (including RLECs) to interconnect their networks with other telecommunications providers (either directly or indirectly) and to enter into ICAsinterconnection agreements with certain types of telecommunications providers. Interconnection agreements typically are negotiated on a statewide basis and are subject to state approval. If an agreement cannot be reached, parties to interconnection negotiations can submit unresolved issues to federal or state regulators for arbitration. Disputes regarding intercarrier compensation can be brought in a number of forums (depending on the nature and jurisdiction of the dispute) including PUCs,state public utility commissions ("PUCs"), the FCC, and the courts. The Company is working to resolve routine interconnection and intercarrier compensation-related disputes concerning the volume of traffic exchanged between the Company and third parties, appropriate access rates, and terms for the origination and termination of traffic on third-party networks.


Regulation of Intercarrier Compensation. Shenandoah Telephone participates in the access revenue pools administered by the FCC-supervised National Exchange Carrier Association (“NECA”), which collects and distributes the revenues from interstate access charges that long-distance carriers pay us for originating and terminating interstate calls over our network. Shenandoah Telephone also participates in some NECA tariffs that govern the rates, terms, and conditions of our interstate access offerings. Some of those tariffs are under review by the FCC, and we may be obligated to refund affected access charges collected in the past or in the future if the FCC ultimately finds that the tariffed rates were unreasonable. We cannot predict whether, when, and to what extent such refunds may be due.


10

Table of Contents
On October 27, 2011, the FCC adopted a number of broad changes to the ICCintercarrier compensation rules governing the interstate access rates charged by small-to-mid-sized ILECsRLECs such as Shenandoah Telephone.Telephone that have had a material impact on our revenues. For example, the FCC adopted a national “bill-and-keep” framework, which will result in substantial reductions in the access charges paid by long distance carriers and other interconnecting carriers, possibly to zero, accompanied by increases to the subscriber line charges paid by business and residential end users. In addition, the FCC has changed some of the rules that determine what compensation voice service providers, including but not limited to wireless carriers, competitive local exchange carriers, VoIP providers and providers of other Internet-enabled services, should pay and receive for originating and terminating traffic that is interconnected with ILECRLEC networks.

The FCC’s changes to the ICC rules have been affirmed by a federal appeals court. These changes, and potential future changes, to such compensation regulations could increase our expenses and/or reduce our revenues. 


The VSCC has jurisdiction over local telephone companies’ intrastate access charges,intercarrier compensation rates, and has indicated in the past that it might open a generic proceeding on the rates charged for intrastate access, although the scope and likelihood of such a proceeding is unclear in light of the FCC’s overhaul of the intercarrier compensation rules (discussed above), which affect states’ jurisdiction over intrastate access charges.


Interstate and intrastate access charges are important sources of revenue for Shenandoah Telephone’s operations.  Unless these revenues can either be replaced through a new universal service mechanism, or unless they can be reflected in

higher rates to local end users, or replaced through other newly created methods of cost recovery, the loss of revenues to the Company could be significant.  There can be no assurance that access charges in their present form will be continued or that sufficient substitutes for the lost revenues will be provided.  If access charges are reduced without sufficient substitutes for the lost revenues, this could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.  In addition, changes to the intercarrier compensation rules and policies could have a material impact on our competitive position vis-à-vis other service providers, particularly in our ability to proactively make improvements to our networks and systems.

Universal Service Fund. Shenandoah Telephone receives disbursements from the federal USF. In October 2011, the FCC adopted comprehensive changes to the universal service program that are intended in part to stabilize the USF, the total funding of which had increased considerably in recent years.program. Some of the FCC’s reforms impact the rules that govern disbursements from the USF to rural ILECsRLECs such as Shenandoah Telephone, and to other providers. Such changes, and additional future changes, may reduce the size of the USF andThese rules have resulted in a substantial decrease in intercarrier compensation payments to Shenandoah Telephone,over a subsidiary of the Company, which could have an adverse impact on the operating results of the Company.multi-year period. The Company is not able to predict if or when additional changes will be made to the USF, or whether and how such changes would affect the extent of our total federal universal service assessments, the amounts we receive, or our ability to recover costs associated with the USF. We cannot predict the extent to which such access charges may decrease or change in the future or the effect such access charge increases may have on our ability to provide cable service.


If the Universal Service Administrative Company (“USAC”) were required to account for the USF program in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for federal agencies under the Anti-Deficiency Act (the “ADA”), it could cause delays in USF payments to fund recipients and significantly increase the amount of USF contribution payments charged to wireline and wireless consumers. Each year since 2004, Congress has adopted short-term exemptions for the USAC from the ADA. Congress has from time to time considered adopting a longer term exemption for the USAC from the ADA, but we cannot predict whether any such exemption will be adopted or the effect it may have on the Company.


In February, 2012, the FCC released an order making substantial changes to the rules and regulations governing the federal USF Lifeline Program, which provides discounted telephone services to low income consumers. The order imposes greater recordkeeping and reporting obligations, and generally subjects providers of Lifeline-supported services to greater oversight. In 2016, the FCC released a second substantial Lifeline order that amended the program to provide support for broadband services and phase out support for voice services. Included among the new rules was a requirement that any eligible telecommunications carrier ("ETC") which offered broadband service, on its own or through an affiliate, must also offer Lifeline-supported broadband service. Due to this requirement, our Company began offering Lifeline-supported broadband in areas where it operates as an ETC. In 2017, the FCC released a Lifeline order that included clarifications to the 2016 Lifeline order and proposed reforms aimed at improving program integrity. As a result of our Company providing Lifeline-supported services, we are subject to increased reporting and recordkeeping requirements, and could be subject to increased regulatory oversight, investigations or audits.

In May 2021, the FCC introduced the temporary Emergency Broadband Benefit ("EBB") program to help qualifying disadvantaged households pay for Internet service. The EBB program provides a subsidy of up to $50 per month toward Internet service to the service provider for most eligible low-income households that elect the benefit and demonstrate their qualification. Congress extended this benefit indefinitely through the new Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) that in 2022 is replacing EBB with a $30 subsidy for service provided to most of the same consumers. These programs are beneficial to participating service providers by increasing the number of customers who can afford and pay for Internet services. At the same time, participation entails some risk because subsidies will not be received if the customer switches to another provider or if the service provider does not fulfill all program requirements. Non-participation would make it more difficult to compete as effectively for business from low-income consumers. The FCC, USAC and other authorities have conducted, and in the future are expected to continue to conduct, more extensive audits of USF support recipients, as well as other heightened oversight activities. The impact of these activities on the Company, if any, is uncertain.


Broadband Services. In December 2010, the FCC adopted so-called net neutrality rules that it deemed necessary to ensure an open Internet that is not unduly restricted by network gatekeepers. Those rules subjected wireline and wireless broadband Internet access service providers to varying regulations (depending upon the nature
11

Table of the service) including three key requirements: 1) a prohibition against blocking websites or other online applications; 2) a prohibition against unreasonable discrimination among Internet users or among different websites or other sources of information; and 3) a transparency requirement compelling the disclosure of network management policies.  Our cable and wireline subsidiaries that provide broadband Internet access services were subject to these rules.  However, on January 14, 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, in Verizon v. FCC, struck down major portions of the FCC’s net neutrality rules governing the operating practices of broadband Internet access providers like us.   The Court struck down the first two components of the rules, the prohibition against blocking and unreasonable discrimination, concluding that they constitute common carrier restrictions that are not permissible given the FCC’s earlier decision to classify Internet access as an information service, rather than a “telecommunications service.”  The Court simultaneously upheld the FCC’s transparency requirement, concluding that this final requirement does not amount to impermissible common carrier regulation.Contents

In 2015, the FCC determined that broadband Internet access services, such as those we offer, were a form of telecommunications service under the Communications Act and, on that basis, imposed rules banning service providers

from blocking access to lawful content, restricting data rates for downloading lawful content, prohibiting the attachment of non-harmful devices, giving special transmission priority to affiliates, and offering third parties the ability to pay for priority routing. The 2015 rules also imposed a transparency requirement, i.e., an obligation to disclose all material terms and conditions of our service to consumers.

In December 2017, the FCC adopted an order repudiating its treatment of broadband as a telecommunications service, reclassifying broadband as an information service, and eliminating the 2015 rules other than the transparency requirement, which it eased in significant ways. The FCC also ruled that state regulators may not impose obligations similar to federal obligations that the FCC removed. Various parties have challenged the FCC’s December 2017 ruling in court, but we cannot predict how any such court challenges will be resolved. Moreover, it is possible that the FCC might further revise its approach to broadband Internet access, or that Congress might enact legislation affecting the rules applicable to the service.

As the Internet has matured, it has become the subject of increasing regulatory interest.  Congress and Federal regulators have adopted a wide range of measures directly or potentially affecting Internet use.  The adoption of new Internet regulations or policies could adversely affect our business.

On January 29, 2015, the FCC, in a nation-wide proceeding evaluating whether advanced broadband is being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion, increased the minimum connection speeds required to qualify as advanced broadband service to 25 Mbps for downloads and 3 Mbps for uploads.  As a result, the FCC concluded that advanced broadband was not being sufficiently deployed and initiated a new inquiry into what steps it might take to encourage broadband deployment.  This action may lead the FCC to adopt additional measures affecting our broadband business.  At the same time, the FCC has ongoing proceedings to allocate additional spectrum for advanced wireless service, which could provide additional wireless competition to our broadband business.

Other Regulatory Obligations. Shenandoah Telephone is subject to requirements relating to CPNI, CALEA implementation, interconnection, access to rights of way, number portability, number pooling, accessibility of telecommunications for those with disabilities, robocalls mitigation, and protection for consumer privacy, and other obligations similar to those discussed above for our wireless operations.privacy.


The FCC and other authorities continue to consider policies to encourage nationwide advanced broadband infrastructure development. For example, the FCC has largely deregulated DSL and other broadband services offered by ILECs.RLECs. Such changes benefit our ILEC,RLEC, but could make it more difficult for us (or for NECA) to tariff and pool DSL costs. Broadband networks and services are subject to CALEA rules, network management disclosure and prohibitions, requirements relating to consumer privacy, and other regulatory mandates.


911 Services. We are subject to FCC rules that require telecommunications carriers to make emergency 911 services available to their subscribers, including enhanced 911 services that convey the caller’s telephone number and detailed location information to emergency responders. In December 2013 the FCC adopted a rule requiring all 911 service providers that serve a public safety answering point (a "PSAP") or other local emergency responder, to take reasonable measures to ensure 911 circuit diversity, availability of backup power at central offices that directly serve PSAPs, and diversity of network monitoring links. Further, in August 2019 the FCC adopted new 911-related requirements for service providers offering customers multiline telephone system solutions to business and enterprise customers. These new requirements require Shentel to take certain additional action to ensure emergency responders can properly respond to 911 calls, such as the delivery of specific location information and notices.


Long Distance Services. We offer long distance service to our customers through our subsidiary, Shentel Communications,Shenandoah Cable Television, LLC. Our long distance rates are not subject to FCC regulation, but we are required to offer long distance service through a subsidiary other than Shenandoah Telephone, to disclose our long distance rates on a website, to maintain geographically averaged rates, to pay contributions to the USF and make other mandatory payments based on our long-distance revenues, and to comply with other filing and regulatory requirements. In November 2013 the FCC issued an order imposing greater recordkeeping and reporting obligations on certain long distance providers delivering calls to rural areas. The order imposes greater recordkeeping and quarterly reporting obligations on such providers, and generally subjects such providers to greater oversight.


CLEC Operations.Regulation of Our Other Services

Transfers, Assignments and Changes of Control of Spectrum Licenses. The FCC must give prior approval to the assignment of ownership or control of a spectrum license, as well as transfers involving substantial changes in such ownership or control. The FCC also requires licensees to maintain effective working control over their licenses.

Spectrum licenses are typically granted for ten-year terms. Our spectrum licenses for our service area are scheduled to expire on various dates. Spectrum licensees have an expectation of license renewal if they can satisfy three "safe harbor" certifications which, if made, will result in routine processing and grant of the license renewal application. Those certifications require the licensee to certify that it has satisfied any ongoing provision of service requirements applicable to the spectrum license, that it has not permanently discontinued operations (defined as 180 days continuously off the air), and that it has substantially complied with applicable rules and policies. If for some reason a licensee cannot meet these safe harbor requirements, it can file a detailed renewal showing based on the actual service provided by the station. We utilize spectrum, pursuant to licenses issued directly to us or leased from third-parties, to deliver our Beam Internet service over a fixed wireless network.

Construction and Operation of Tower Facilities. Wireless tower systems must comply with certain FCC and Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) regulations regarding the registration, siting, marking, lighting and construction of transmitter towers and antennas. The FCC also requires that aggregate radio frequency emissions from every site meet certain standards. These regulations affect site selection for new network build-outs and may increase the costs of improving our network. We cannot predict what impact the costs and delays from these regulations could have on our operations.

The construction of new towers, and in some cases the modification of existing towers, may also be subject to environmental review pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (“NEPA”), which requires federal agencies to evaluate the environmental impacts of their decisions under some circumstances. FCC regulations implementing NEPA place responsibility on each applicant to investigate any potential environmental effects of a proposed operation, including health effects relating to radio frequency emissions, and impacts on endangered species such as certain migratory birds, and to disclose any significant effects on the environment to the agency prior
12

Table of Contents
to commencing construction. In the event that the FCC determines that a proposed tower would have a significant environmental impact, the FCC would require preparation of an environmental impact statement, which would be subject to public comment.

In addition, tower construction is subject to regulations including the National Historic Preservation Act. Compliance with FAA, environmental or historic preservation requirements could significantly delay or prevent the registration or construction of a particular tower or make tower construction more costly. On July 15, 2016, Congress enacted new tower marking requirements for certain towers located in rural areas, which may increase our operational costs. However, statutory changes adopted by Congress in the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act may ameliorate or mitigate some of those costs. In some jurisdictions, local laws or regulations may impose similar requirements.

Tower Facilities Siting. States and localities are authorized to operateengage in forms of regulation, including zoning and land-use regulation, which may affect our ability to select and modify sites for wireless tower facilities. States and localities may not engage in forms of regulation that effectively prohibit the provision of wireless services, discriminate among functionally equivalent services or regulate the placement, construction or operation of wireless tower facilities on the basis of the environmental effects of radio frequency emissions. Courts and the FCC are routinely asked to review whether state and local zoning and land-use actions should be preempted by federal law, and the FCC also is routinely asked to consider other issues affecting wireless facilities siting in other proceedings. We cannot predict the outcome of these proceedings or the effect they may have on us.

Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act. The CALEA was enacted in 1994 to preserve electronic surveillance capabilities by law enforcement officials in the face of rapidly changing telecommunications technology. CALEA requires telecommunications carriers and broadband providers, including the Company, to modify their equipment, facilities and services to allow for authorized electronic surveillance based on either industry or FCC standards.

Human Capital Management
As of December 31, 2021, the Company employed approximately 860 people in and around the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, of which approximately 31% were female, and 23% of managerial employees were female.

Our Chief Human Resources Officer ("CHRO") is responsible for developing and executing the Company’s human capital management strategy in alignment with the business. This includes the attraction, acquisition, development, retention and engagement of talent to deliver on the Company’s strategy, the design of employee compensation and benefits programs, and oversight of our diversity and inclusion efforts. Our CHRO continuously evaluates, modifies, and enhances our internal processes and technologies to increase employee engagement, productivity, and effectiveness. In addition, the Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") and CHRO regularly update the Company’s board of directors and its committees on the operation and status of these human capital trends and management programs. Key areas of focus include:

Culture, Values & Ethics

Shentel is committed to operating in a fair, honest, responsible and ethical manner and we expect our employees to commit to these same principles. The Company has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which is also clearly visible to our customers and vendors on our external Shentel website (https://investor.shentel.com/corporate-governance/governance-overview). Additionally, at time of hire and at least annually, we ask all employees and board members to review and certify their commitment to this Code.

In addition to compliance with our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, the Company attempts to follow a Positive People Philosophy, which creates the foundation for how all employees work together to drive our collective success. Our culture is built upon values of always looking for opportunities to improve, taking ownership for resolving issues, effectively communicating to solve problems, working collaboratively as a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier ("CLEC") in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginiateam, and Pennsylvania.  CLECs generally are subjectproviding leadership by setting positive examples for others to federalfollow.

Workplace Safety

13

Table of Contents
The health and state regulations that are similar to, but not as stringent as, those that apply to our ILEC operations.  Both the FCC and the state regulatory authorities require that, in most circumstances, CLEC access charges be no higher than the access charges of the ILECs in areas where they operate.


Employees
At December 31, 2018, we had approximately 1,029 employees, of whom approximately 1,018 were full-time employees.  Nonesafety of our employees is represented byour highest priority. Exceeding OSHA Regulations is the expectation for Shentel. We have achieved this level of success through our deliberate creation and management of both regional and corporate safety committees. Our commitment to safety has also allowed us to achieve a union or covered by2021 OSHA Incident Rate of approximately 0.6, compared to the national utilities industry benchmark of 2.2.

Our focus on safety is also evident in our COVID-19 response. We developed a collective bargaining agreement.

Executive OfficersCOVID Task Force Team at the outset of the Registrantpandemic which created policies and guidelines based on both the Centers for Disease Control and the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) Program, which have set forth the most stringent guidelines of all of the states in which we operate. These policies and guidelines are focused on keeping both our employees and customers as safe as possible as we continue to operate as an essential business during the pandemic.


Compensation and Benefits

We provide employees with compensation and benefits packages that are market-driven and aligned to a consistent Shentel Compensation and Rewards Philosophy. This philosophy is aligned with the needs of the business, and targeted to be competitive in the Company’s designated talent markets. As well as ensuring compensation competitiveness, the primary objectives of Shentel’s compensation programs are as follows:

Create a competitive advantage to attract, motivate and retain the necessary talent for the Company.
Focus both individual and organizational effort around strategy execution, accountability and Company core values for achieving key business outcomes.
Emphasize individual performance-based differentiation linked to corporate and shareholder values.
Establish job and salary structures that are market driven and reviewed on an ongoing basis in order to maintain long-term competitiveness.
Ensure that pay processes are easily understood.
Provide a consistent approach to delivering ongoing competitive compensation to employees of the Company. Consistency will be measured in terms of pay positioning relative to the Company’s defined competitive survey market as well as in comparison to the Company’s overall internal compensation philosophy and objectives.
Target the 50th percentile of the Company’s defined competitive survey market for each relevant compensation component.

Our compensation and rewards program consists of three primary components: Base Salary, Short-Term Incentive and Long-Term Incentive. Base Salary is paid for comparable knowledge, skills and experience. Short-Term Incentive is variable cash compensation designed to recognize and reward extraordinary performance and is based upon the achievement of a combination of Company-wide financial and service performance goals and achievement of individual objectives. Long-Term Incentive is equity based compensation that aligns eligible employees’ interests with those of shareholders and encourages a long term focus and retention.

We also provide eligible employees the ability to participate in a 401(k) Plan which has competitive Company contributions, as well as generous health and welfare benefits, paid time off, employee assistance programs, and educational assistance, among many others.

Diversity and Inclusion

We believe that a diverse workforce is critical to our success. Our recent efforts have been focused in three areas: inspiring innovation through an inclusive and diverse culture; expanding our efforts to recruit, hire and retain experienced, diverse talent; and identifying strategic initiatives to accelerate our inclusion and diversity programs.

Training and Talent Management

To empower employees to realize their full potential, we provide a range of leadership development programs and learning opportunities, which emphasize skills and identify resources they can use to be successful. Our Shentel University platform supplements our talent development strategies and provides an online portal that enables employees to access virtual courses and self-directed web-based courses, leveraging both internally and externally developed and hosted content. In addition, we provide our employees with regular leadership and professional development events that focus on how we may best advance our team, effectively execute our business strategies, and continue to develop the talent and potential of our employees. We leverage our training and talent management efforts to ensure we have ready-now successors identified as the Company continues to grow and evolve.
14

Table of Contents

Employee Engagement

Our annual employee satisfaction survey captures critical indicators of employee engagement and provides an overall understanding of employee favorability. During 2021, we conducted our most recent enterprise-wide engagement survey, with the assistance of third party consultants, which focused on measuring engagement, inclusion, and overall employee satisfaction.We will continue to poll our employees and build action plans to address feedback shared by our team members.
Information About Our Executive Officers

The following table presents information about our executive officers who, other than Christopher E. French, are not members of our board of directors. Our executive officers serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors.
NameTitleAgeDate in Position
Christopher E. FrenchPresident and Chief Executive Officer63April 1988
NameEdward H. McKayTitleAgeDate in Position
Christopher E. FrenchPresident and Chief Executive Officer61April 1988
David L. HeimbachExecutive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer4349May 2018July 2021
James F. WoodwardJ. VolkSenior Vice President – Finance and Chief Financial Officer5958November 2017June 2019
William L. PirtleElaine M. ChengSenior Vice President – Sales and MarketingChief Information Officer5949JanuaryMarch 2019
ThomasHeather K. BanksVice President and Chief Human Resources Officer48July 2019
Dennis A. WhitakerRompsVice President and Chief Accounting Officer54July 2021
Richard W. Mason Jr.Senior Vice President – Fiber Operations58January 2019
Edward H. McKaySenior Vice President – Engineering and Operations4648January 2019July 2021
Raymond B. OstroskiDerek C. RiegerGeneral Counsel, Vice President - Legal and Corporate Secretary6441January 2013February 2022

Mr. French is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, where hefor Shentel. He is responsible for the overall leadership and strategic direction of the Company. He has served as President since 1988, and has been a member and Chairman of the Board of Directors since 1996. Prior to appointment as President, Mr. French held a variety of positions with the Company, including Vice President Network Service and Executive Vice President. Mr. French holds a B.S.bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and an MBA, both from the University of Virginia. He has held board and officer positions in both state and national telecommunicationstelecommunication associations, including service as a director of the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies (OPASTCO) and was president and director of the Virginia Telecommunications Industry Association. Mr. French is currently a member of both the Board of Directors and the Leadership Committee of the USTelecom Association.


Mr. HeimbachMcKay is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Shentel. He joined the Company in May 2018 having previouslyhas served in a variety of senior management roles with both large companies and entrepreneurial start-ups. He most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of Rise Broadband, the nation’s largest fixed wireless service provider, with responsibility for sales, marketing, product management, engineering, construction, field and customer operations, and corporate strategy. Prior to joining Rise Broadband, Mr. Heimbach held several executive positions at Cincinnati Bell over a 14 year period including Chief Operating Officer; Senior Vice President/General Manager, Business & Carrier Markets; Vice President & General Manager of the Evolve Business Solutions subsidiary; Vice President, Product Development; Director, Small & Medium Business Strategy; Director of Operations, Extended Territories; and Product Manager. Mr. Heimbach holds a B.S. in Communications from the J. Warren McClure School of Information & Telecommunications Systems from Ohio Universitythis role since July 2021 and is a board member ofresponsible for leading Shentel’s entire integrated broadband business, including the AmericanShentel Cable, AssociationGlo Fiber and a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO).

Mr. Woodward is Senior Vice President – FinanceBeam brands, and Chief Financial Officer for Shentel.the Company’s tower portfolio. He joined Shentel in November2004 and has more than 25 years of 2017.experience in the telecommunications industry. Prior to joining Shentel,his current role, he held various positions in a 34-year career with Media General Inc., a public diversified American media company, includingserved as Senior Vice President-FinancePresident of Engineering & Operations. He played a key role in the growth and Chief Financial Officer, Group Vice President – Growthsuccess of Shentel's former wireless business, led the expansion of the fiber-rich network supporting the Company’s cable and Performancewireline business, and Vice President – Corporate Human Resources. He holds a B.A. degree in Accounting from James Madison University. 

was responsible for delivering on Shentel’s broadband Fiber First growth strategy for Glo Fiber. Mr. Pirtle isMcKay held the title of Senior Vice President - SalesWireline and MarketingEngineering from 2015 to 2018, with responsibility for Shentel. He joined the Company in 1992 as Vice President - Network Services responsible for Shentel's technology decisions, maintenance and operation of its telephone, cable, cellular, paging and fiber optics networks. Most recently, he served asmanaging the Company's Senior Vice President - Wireless from September 2015 to December 2018 until he assumed his current role as of January 2019. He helped launch Shentel's Internet business in 1994,commercial fiber and led its participation in its wireless PCS businessdual incumbent cable and Sprint affiliation beginning in 1995. He was in the pre-med program and holds a B.A degree in Biology from the University of Virginia. Mr. Pirtle is a co-founder of the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council and has represented the Company on the Board of

ValleyNet. Mr. Pirtle currently serves on the CTIA and CCA boards of directors and will serve as chairman of the CCA board in 2019.

Mr. Whitaker is Senior Vice President - Fiber Operations for Shentel. He was promoted to Senior Vice President - Cable in September 2015 and served in that position until assuming his new role in January of 2019. Mr. Whitaker joined Shentel in 2004, through the Shentel acquisition of NTC Communications. Mr. Whitaker began his career in 1983. He previously was Chief Operating Officer of NTC Communications, and served as Vice President of Network Operations at Broadslate Networks, Director of Wireless Operations for nTelos, and was Co-Founder and Vice President of Nat-Com, Incorporated. Mr. Whitaker holds a B.A. degree in Biology from West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, WV. Mr. Whitaker also serves on the board of National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC).

Mr. McKay is Senior Vice President - Engineering and Operations for Shentel. He is responsible forRLEC businesses, network planning, engineering, construction and operations for Shentel's networks. He was promoted to Senior Vice President in September 2015. Previously he was Vice President - Wireline and Engineering. Mr. McKay joined Shentel in 2004 and began his telecommunications industry career in 1996, including previous engineering management positions at UUNET and Verizon. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he earned master'smaster’s and bachelor'sbachelor’s degrees in Electrical Engineering. He represents the Company on the Board of ACA Connects and the Board of ValleyNet.


Mr. OstroskiVolk is General CounselSenior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He joined Shentel in June 2019. He has more than 27 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, and has served in a variety of senior financial management roles with both large corporations and high growth, early stage telecommunication providers. He most recently served as Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations of Uniti Group Inc. Prior to joining Uniti, he served as CFO of multiple public and private telecommunication companies, including PEG Bandwidth, Hargray Communications and UbiquiTel Inc. He previously held senior finance positions with AT&T and Comcast. Mr.
15

Table of Contents
Volk holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the University of Delaware and a Master of Business Administration from Villanova University.

Mrs. Cheng is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Shentel. She leads the Information Technology organization, Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO), and Enterprise Risk Management program, and is responsible for our Customer Care and Tech Support functions. She joined the Company in March 2019 and has more than 20 years of experience in diverse business environments across all areas of Information Technology. Prior to joining Shentel, Mrs. Cheng served as Chief Information Officer and Managing Director of Global Strategic Design for CFA Institute in Charlottesville, Va. Prior to her time at CFA Institute, Mrs. Cheng held a number of different roles over 16 years with M&T Bank in Buffalo, NY, including Group Vice President, Technology Business Services, Vice President of Retail Operations and Assistant Vice President, Web Product Owner. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Vassar College and her Masters of Business Administration from the University of Rochester. Additionally, Mrs. Cheng is a founding board member of Charlottesville Women in Tech, a non-profit organization which encourages women to join and thrive in technology careers.

Ms. Banks is Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Shentel. She joined the Company in July 2019. Ms. Banks brings more than 20 years of experience in leading and managing strategic HR initiatives to Shentel. Prior to joining Shentel, Ms. Banks was the Chief Human Resources Officer of American Woodmark, headquartered in Winchester, Virginia. Prior to American Woodmark, Ms. Banks held numerous HR leadership positions with a variety of organizations across a range of industries, including Carlisle FoodService Products, UTC Aerospace Systems, Goodrich Corporation, Northern Power Systems, and IGT. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Florida State University and a Master of Arts in Industrial Organizational Psychology from the University of New Haven.

Mr. Romps is Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer for Shentel. He is responsible for all accounting, financial reporting, internal controls, SEC, Sarbanes-Oxley and income tax compliance. Mr. Romps joined the company in July 2021 and has 30 years of progressive accounting and finance experience including six years as Chief Accounting Officer of Continental Building Products, a publicly-traded building materials company, eight years with AT&T (formerly SBC Communications and Ameritech) and four years with Ernst & Young. Mr. Romps is a certified public accountant and earned a B.A. in Accounting from Michigan State University and MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Mr. Mason is Senior Vice President Engineering and Operations at Shentel and is responsible for leading the Company's network strategy, engineering, construction and operations functions. He joined Shentel in May 2019 as Vice President and Head of Business Operations responsible for Enterprise Program Management, Performance Management and Process Excellence across all business segments. Prior to joining Shentel, Mr. Mason was Head of Install and Repair Operations at Google Fiber. Before that, he held a variety of leadership roles over his 20+ year career with Cincinnati Bell, culminating in Vice President of Field Operations. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Ohio University and has an MBA from Xavier University.

Mr. Rieger is Vice President – Legal, andGeneral Counsel & Corporate Secretary for Shentel. He joined Shentel in 20132021 and is responsible for all legal and regulatory compliance matters for the Company. He also acts as Corporate Secretary to the Company’s Board of Directors. Mr. OstroskiRieger began his career in the telecommunicationscontact center industry in 19852007, and went on to gain experience in both the financial technology and software-as-a-service industries. Mr. Rieger has served as General Counsel for Conduit Global, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and General CounselCorporate Secretary for One Communications, Seniorkgb, and Vice President of Global Corporate and General CounselOperational Compliance for Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises, Executive Vice President and General Counsel for RCN Corporation and Senior Vice President and General CounselSykes Enterprises. Mr. Rieger received his Bachelor of C-TEC Corporation.  Mr. Ostroski earned a BS degreeScience in Social ScienceBusiness Administration from WilkesVillanova University and also earned ahis Juris Doctor degree from Temple University School of Law.Widener University.


Websites and Additional Information


The Company maintains a corporate website at www.shentel.com. We make available free of charge, through our website, our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8‑K and all amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or furnish such reports with or to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). The contents of our website are not a part of this report. In addition, the SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding the Company.

16


Table of Contents
ITEM 1A.RISK FACTORS

ITEM 1A.RISK FACTORS

Our business and operations are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. The risks set forth under "Business""Part I Item 1. Business" and the following risk factors should be read carefully in connection with evaluating our business. The following risks (or additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial)us) could materially affect our financial condition, liquidity, or operating results, and conditions.as well as the price of our common stock.


Risks Related to the Telecommunications IndustryOur Business


Intensifying competition in all segments of our business may limit our ability to sustain profitable operations.continue to grow our revenue.


AsThe low interest rate environment and the increasing demand for faster residential internet bandwidth driven by working and learning from home since the outbreak of COVID-19 has increased the availability of capital to fund fiber-to-the-home (“FTTH”) overbuilds in areas historically served by incumbent cable and incumbent local telephone providers. If new technologies are developed and deployed byFTTH competitors inoverbuild our incumbent cable service area,areas, some of our subscribers may select other providers’ offerings based on price, bandwidth speeds, capabilities or personal preferences. Most of our competitors possess greater resources, have greater brand recognition, have more extensive coverage areas, have access to spectrum or technologies not available to us, are able to offer bundled service offerings that we are not able to duplicate and offer more services than we do. If significant numbers of our subscribers elect to move to competing providers, or if market saturation limits the rate of new subscriber additions, we may not be able to sustain profitable operations.continue to grow our revenue.


Prospective competitors of our Broadband segment may receive grants from federal or state universal service funds or other subsidies. Some of those potential competitors may receive support under the Connect America Fund, Rural Development Opportunity Fund, American Rescue Plant Act or Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to build broadband facilities to unserved homes that do not meet the minimum broadband speeds in some areas already served by our Beam fixed wireless and DSL networks and adjacent to our cable and FTTH footprint. As a result, new competitors may invest in cable and FTTH markets, increasing the number of competitors we face in our network area and in the areas we hope to expand our broadband network in the future.

Consumers are increasingly accessing video content from alternative sources, such as Internet-based “over the top” providers such as Netflix, YouTube TV, Amazon, Hulu, and related platforms. The influx of competitors in this area, together with the development of new technologies to support them, are resulting in significant changes in the video business models and regulatory provisions that have applied to the provision of video and other services. These developments have led to a loss of video subscribers due to "cord cutting" as customers adopt alternative sources and may lead to a decline in the demand, price and profitability of our cable and related video services.

Incumbent cable companies also face competition from direct broadcast satellite providers, and from large providers of wireline telecommunications services (such as Verizon, Lumen and AT&T), which have upgraded their networks in certain markets outside of our cable footprint to provide video services in addition to voice and broadband services and may offer bundled service offerings that we are not able to duplicate. Wireless providers are also entering the market for video services by making such services available on handsets and tablets. In some areas, direct broadcast satellite providers have partnered with large incumbent telecommunications service providers to offer triple-play services. If direct broadcast satellite providers and large wireline telecommunications service providers were to expand their upgraded networks into our cable and FTTH footprint, then Shentel would face increased competition within our existing footprint and potential decreases in revenue from existing sources.

The Company’s Commercial Fiber business faces intense competition from several local and national providers. Most of our competitors possess greater resources, have greater brand recognition, have more extensive coverage areas, have access to technologies not available to us, are able to offer bundled service offerings that we are not able to duplicate and offer more services than we do. If a significant numbers of our customers elect to move to competing providers, our Commercial Fiber revenues could be adversely affected.

Nationwide, incumbent local exchange carriers have experienced a decrease in access lines due to the effect of wireless and wireline competition. We have experienced reductions in the number of access lines to date, and based on industry experience we anticipate that the long-term trend toward declining telephone subscriber counts will continue. There is a significant risk that this downward trend will have a materialan adverse effect on the Company’s landline telephone operations in the future.

17

Table of Contents
The Company’s
Our future growth is primarily dependent upon our expansion strategy, which may or may not be successful.

We are strategically focused on driving growth by expanding our broadband network in order to provide service in communities that are near or adjacent to our network. This expansion strategy includes our FTTH broadband service, which we offer under the Glo Fiber brand. This brand is relatively new in the marketplace. This strategy requires considerable management resources and capital investment and it is uncertain whether and when it will contribute to positive free cash flow. As a result, we expect our capital expenditures to exceed the cash flow provided from continuing operations through 2025. Additionally, we must obtain pole attachment agreements, franchises, construction permits, and other regulatory approvals to commence operations in these communities. Delays in entering into pole attachment agreements, receiving the necessary franchises and construction permits, procuring needed contractors, materials or supplies, and conducting the construction itself could adversely impact our scheduled construction plans and, ultimately, our expansion strategy. Difficulty in obtaining necessary resources may also adversely affect our ability to expand into new markets as could our ability to adequately market a new brand to customers unfamiliar to us as we expand to markets where we do not currently operate. We may face resistance from competitors who are already in markets we wish to enter. If our expectations regarding our ability to attract customers in these communities are not met, or if the capital requirements to complete the network investment or the time required to attract our expected level of customers are incorrect, our financial performance may be negatively impacted.

We may incur significant churn from our largest customer who represents 8% of our revenues.

We lease space on our towers and provide backhaul and transport services to T-Mobile to support their wireless network in our markets. T-Mobile has announced plans to decommission parts of their recently acquired networks which could lead to a material loss of revenue being generated from our tower and broadband segments. We may not be able to replace the churn with new revenue from other carriers where our towers and fiber leasesis located in a timely basis or at all.

Many of our competitors are larger than we are and possess greater resources than we do.

In some instances, we compete against companies with fewer regulatory burdens, greater personnel resources, greater resources for marketing, greater brand name recognition, and long-established relationships with regulatory authorities and customers. We have begun to realign our corporate expenses to reflect the sale of our Wireless assets and operations, and to scale for our planned Broadband growth. We anticipate that this initiative will take multiple years and will be enabled by certain of our information technology initiatives. If we are unable to sufficiently build the necessary infrastructure and internal support functions to scale and expand our network and customer base, our potential growth could be limited. We may not be adversely impacted by price competition for these facilities.able to successfully compete with competitors or be able to make the operational or financial investments necessary to successfully serve our targeted customer base. As a result, we could experience greater operating costs, our revenue could decline and we may lose existing customers and fail to attract new customers.


Alternative technologies, changes in the regulatory environment and current uncertainties in the marketplace may reduce future demand for existing telecommunication services.services and materially increase our capital expenditures.


The telecommunications industry is experiencing significant technological change, evolving industry standards, ongoing improvements in the capacity and quality of digital technology, shorter development cycles for new products and enhancements and changes in end-user requirements and preferences. Technological advances, industry changes and changes in the regulatory environment and the availability of additional spectrum or additional flexibility with respect to the use of currently available spectrum could cause the technology we use to become obsolete. We and our vendors may not be able to respond to such changes and implement new technology on a timely basis or at an acceptable cost.

Adverse Additionally, we may be required to select one developing or new technology over another and may not choose the technology that is ultimately determined to be the most economic, conditionsefficient or attractive to customers. We may also encounter difficulties in the United Statesimplementing new technologies, products and services and may encounter disruptions in our market area involving significantly reduced consumer spending could haveservice as a negative impact on our results of operations.

Sprint's subscribers are individual consumers and businesses. Any national economic weakness, restricted credit markets or high unemployment rates could depress consumer spending and harm our operating performance.  In addition, subscribers in our affiliate area are located inresult. As a relatively concentrated geographic area; therefore, any material adverse economic conditions that affect our geographic markets in particular could have a disproportionately negative impact on our results.

Regulation by government and taxing agencies may increase our costs of providing service or require changes in services, either of which could impairresult, our financial performance.

Our operations are subject to varying degrees of regulation by the FCC, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as well as by state and local regulatory agencies and franchising authorities.  Action by these regulatory bodies could negatively affect our operations and our costs of doing business.  For example, changes in tax laws or the interpretation of existing tax laws by state and local authorities could increase income, sales, property or other tax costs.

Our access revenueperformance may be adversely impacted by legislative or regulatory actions or by technology developments that decrease access rates or exempt certain traffic from paying for access to our regulated telephone network.negatively impacted.

On October 27, 2011, the FCC adopted a number of broad changes to the intercarrier compensation rules governing the interstate access rates charged by small-to-mid-sized ILECs such as Shenandoah Telephone.  For example, the FCC

adopted a national “bill and keep” framework, which has resulted in substantial reductions in the access charges paid by long distance carriers and other interconnecting carriers, eliminating such payments in many instances, accompanied by increases to the subscriber line charges paid by business and residential end users. In addition, the FCC has changed some of the rules that determine what compensation carriers, including but not limited to wireless carriers, competitive local exchange carriers, VoIP providers and providers of other Internet-enabled services, should pay (and receive) for their traffic that is interconnected with ILEC networks.  More recently, the FCC initiated a further proceeding to consider whether additional changes to interconnection obligations are needed, including how and where companies interconnect their networks with the networks of other providers. These changes, and potential future changes, to such compensation regulations could increase our expenses or further reduce our revenues. In addition, the Company is working to resolve routine interconnection and intercarrier compensation-related disputes concerning the volume of traffic exchanged between the Company and third parties, appropriate access rates, and terms for the origination and termination of traffic on third-party networks.


Our distribution networks may be subject to weather-related events that may damage our networks and adversely impact our ability to deliver promised services or increase costs related to such events.


18

Table of Contents
Our distribution networks may be subject to weather-related events that could damage our networks and impact service delivery. Some published reports predict that warming global temperatures will increase the frequency and severity of such weather-related events. Should such predictions be correct or if for other reasons there are more weather-related events, and should such events impact the Mid-AtlanticEast Coast region covered by our networks more frequently or more severely than in the past, our revenues and expenses could be materially adversely impacted.


Risks RelatedOur programming costs are subject to demands for increased payments.

The cable television industry has continued to experience an increase in the cost of programming, especially sports programming and retransmission fees. In addition, as we add programming to our Overall Business Strategyvideo services for existing customers or distribute existing programming to more customers, we incur increased programming expenses. Broadcasters affiliated with major over-the-air network services have been increasing their demands for cash payments and other concessions for the right to carry local network television signals on our cable systems. As compared to large national providers, our smaller base of subscribers limits our ability to negotiate lower programming costs. If we are unable to raise our customers’ rates, these increased programming costs could have an adverse impact on our results of operations. Moreover, as our programming contracts and retransmission agreements with programming providers expire, there can be no assurance that they will be renewed on acceptable terms which could lead to a loss of video customers.


We may not benefit from our acquisition strategy.


As part of our business strategy, we regularly evaluate opportunities to enhance the value of the Company by pursuing acquisitions of other businesses. Although we remain subject to financial and other covenants in our credit agreement that may limit our ability to pursue certain strategic opportunities, we intend to continue to evaluate and, when appropriate, pursue strategic acquisition opportunities as they arise. We cannot provide any assurance, however, with respect to the timing, likelihood, size or financial effect of any potential transaction involving the Company, as we may not be successful in identifying and consummating any acquisition or in integrating any newly acquired business into our operations.


The evaluation of business acquisition opportunities and the integration of any acquired businesses pose a number of significant risks, including the following:


acquisitions may place significant strain on our management and financial and other resources by requiring us to expend a substantial amount of time and resources in the pursuit of acquisitions that we may not complete, or to devote significant attention to the various integration efforts of any newly acquired businesses, all of which will require the allocation of limited resources;

acquisitions may not have a positive impact on our cash flows or financial performance;

even if acquired companies eventually contribute to an increase in our cash flows or financial performance, such acquisitions may adversely affect our operating results in the short term as a result of transaction-related expenses we will have to pay or the higher operating and administrative expenses we may incur in the periods immediately following an acquisition as we seek to integrate the acquired business into our operations;

we may not be able to realize anticipated synergies, achieve the desired level of integration of the acquired business or eliminate as many anticipated redundant costs;

we may not be able to maintain relationships with customers, suppliers and other business partners of the acquired business;
our operating and financial systems and controls and information services may not be compatible with those of the companies we may acquire and may not be adequate to support our integration efforts, and any steps we take to improve these systems and controls may not be sufficient;

our business plans and projections used to justify the acquisitions and expansion investments are based on assumptions of revenues per subscriber, penetration rates in specific markets where we operate and expected

operating costs. These assumptions may not develop as projected, which may negatively impact our profitability or the value of our intangible assets;

growth through acquisitions will increase our need for qualified personnel, who may not be available to us or, if they were employed by a business we acquire, remain with us after the acquisition; and

acquired businesses may have unexpected liabilities and contingencies, which could be significant.


OurThe COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted, and the future outbreak of other highly infectious or contagious diseases could disrupt, the operation of our business resulting in adverse impacts to our financial condition,
19

Table of Contents
results of operations, and cash flow and could create significant volatility in the trading and value of the Company’s common stock.

Since being reported in December 2019, an outbreak of a new strain of coronavirus (“COVID-19”) has spread globally, including to every state in the United States. In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic and the United States declared a national emergency. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the global economy, disrupted global supply chains, and created significant volatility and disruption of financial markets, and another pandemic in the future could have similar effects. Given the ongoing and dynamic nature of the circumstances, it is difficult to predict the impact of COVID-19 on the Company, and there is no guarantee that efforts by Shentel, designed to address adverse impacts of the coronavirus, will be effective.

The Company has limited non-essential travel, in-person meetings and large employee meetings, while also implementing a work-from-home policy to encourage all employees whose job responsibilities permit remote working to do so. Continued restrictions on travel and limitations on interaction with customers may impact our sales and marketing activities, including our ability to complysecure new customers, to qualify and sell new products, or to grow sales with customers where or with whom we do not have a longer-standing supply relationship.

In addition, the financial covenants in our credit agreement depends primarilycurrent COVID-19 pandemic, or a future pandemic, could have material and adverse effects on our ability to generate sufficient operating cash flow.

Our ability to comply with the financial covenants under the agreement governing our secured credit facilities will depend primarilysuccessfully operate and on our successfinancial condition, results of operations and cash flows due to, among other factors:

additional disruptions or delays in generating sufficientour operations or network performance, as well as network maintenance and construction, testing, supervisory and customer support activities, and inventory and supply procurement;
increases in operating cash flow. Under our credit agreement, we are subjectcosts, inventory shortages and/or a decrease in productivity related to a total leverage ratio covenant, a minimum debt service coverage ratio covenanttravel bans, employee illness or quarantine and a minimum liquidity test. Industry conditions and financial, business and other factors, including those we identify as risk factorssocial distancing efforts, which could include delays in this and our other reports, will affect our ability to generateinstall broadband services at customer locations or require our vendors and contractors to incur additional costs that may be passed on to us;
a deterioration in our ability to operate in affected areas or delays in the cash flows we needsupply of products or services to satisfy those financial testsus from vendors that are needed for our efficient operations or growth objectives;
increases in health insurance and ratios. Our failurelabor-related costs arising from illness, quarantine and the implementation of social distancing and work-from-home measures;
increased risk of phishing and other cybersecurity attacks, and increased risk of unauthorized dissemination of sensitive personal information or proprietary or confidential information about us, our customers or other third parties as a result of employees or third-party vendors' employees working remotely;
a decrease in the ability of our counterparties to satisfy meet their obligations to us in full, or at all;
a general reduction in business and economic activity may severely impact our customers and may cause them to be unable to pay for services provided; and
the tests or ratiospotential negative impact on the health of our personnel, particularly if a significant number of them are impacted, could result in a defaultdeterioration in our ability to ensure business continuity during a disruption and/or impact the ability for us to manage and accelerationimplement the planned build out and expansion of repaymentour network.

Shentel has implemented policies and procedures designed to mitigate the risk of adverse impacts of the indebtedness under our credit facilities. IfCOVID-19 pandemic, or a future pandemic, on the maturityCompany’s operations, but may incur additional costs to ensure continuity of our indebtedness were accelerated, webusiness operations caused by progression of the COVID-19 pandemic, or other future pandemics, which could adversely affect its financial condition and results of operations. However, the extent of such impacts will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information that may not have sufficient fundsemerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and actions taken to repay such indebtedness. In such event,contain COVID-19 or its impact. Additionally, to the extent permitted by our credit agreement and applicable law, our lenders would be entitled to proceed against the collateral securing the indebtedness, which includes substantially all of our assets and the assets of our subsidiaries.

Our level of indebtedness couldCOVID-19 pandemic adversely affect our financial health and ability to compete.

As of December 31, 2018, we had $785.2 million of total indebtedness. Our level of indebtedness could have important adverse consequences. For example, it may:

increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions, including interest rate increases, because as of December 31, 2018, a significant portion of our borrowings were, and may continue to be, subject to variable rates of interest;

require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures, dividends and other general corporate purposes;

limit our ability to borrow additional funds to alleviate liquidity constraints, as a result of financial and other restrictive covenants in our credit agreement;

limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes inaffects our business, and the industryfinancial condition or results of operations, it may heighten other risks described in which we operate; andthis "Risk Factors" section.

place us at a competitive disadvantage relative to companies that have less indebtedness.

In addition, our secured credit facilities impose operating and financial restrictions that limit our discretion on some business matters, which could make it more difficult for us to expand, finance our operations and engage in other business activities that may be in our interest. These restrictions limit our ability and that of our subsidiaries to, among other things:

incur additional indebtedness and additional liens on our assets;

engage in certain mergers or acquisitions or asset dispositions;

pay dividends or make other distributions;

voluntarily prepay other indebtedness;

enter into transactions with affiliated persons;

make certain investments; and

change the nature of our business.

In addition to the term loan secured indebtedness we have incurred and the $75 million of revolving credit indebtedness we may draw against from time to time, we may incur additional indebtedness under our credit facilities. Any additional indebtedness we may incur in the future may subject us to similar or even more restrictive conditions.

Our ability to refinance our indebtedness in the future, should circumstances require it, will depend on our ability in the future to generate cash flows from operations and to raise additional funds, including through the offering of equity or debt securities and through our access to bank debt markets. We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flows from operations or to raise additional funds in amounts necessary for us to repay our indebtedness when such indebtedness becomes due and to meet our other cash needs.


Disruptions of our information technology infrastructure or operations could harm our business.


We depend onA disruption of our information technology infrastructure or operations, or the infrastructure or operations of certain vendors who provide information technology services to achieveus or our business objectives. A disruption of our infrastructurecustomers, could be caused by a natural disaster, energy or manufacturing failure, telecommunications system failure, ransomware attack, cybersecurity or terrorist attack, intrusion or incident, or defective or improperly installed new or upgraded business management systems. Although we make significant efforts to maintain the security and integrity of the Company's information technology infrastructure, there can be no assurance that our security efforts and disaster recovery measures will be
20

Table of Contents
effective or that attempted security breaches or catastrophic disruptions would not be successful or damaging, especially in light of the growing sophistication of cyber-attacks and intrusions sponsored by state or other interests. Portions of our ITinformation technology infrastructure also may experience interruptions, delays or cessations of service or produce errors in connection with systems integration or migration work that takes place from time to time. In the event of any such disruption, we may be unable to conduct our business in the normal course. Moreover, our business involves the processing, storage and transmission of data, which would also be negatively affected by such an event. A disruption of our information technology infrastructure or operations could also cause us to lose customers and revenue, particularly during a period of heavy demand for our services. We also could incur significant expense in repairing system damage and taking other remedial measures.


We have identified material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting that, if not properly corrected, could materially adversely affect our operations and result in material misstatements in our financial statements.

In accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we, along with our independent registered public accounting firm, are required to report on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. Failure to design and maintain effective internal controls could constitute a material weakness which could result in inaccurate financial statements, inaccurate disclosures or failure to prevent fraud.

As of December 31, 2021, we did not maintain an effective control environment attributable to certain identified material weaknesses. We describe these material weaknesses in Item 9A. Controls and Procedures in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The identified control deficiencies create a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement to the consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis, and therefore we concluded that the deficiencies represent material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2021. We cannot provide any assurance that these weaknesses will be effectively remediated or that additional material weaknesses will not occur in the future. The existence of these or other material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting could also result in errors in our financial statements that could require us to restate our financial statements, cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations and cause stockholders to lose confidence in our reported financial information, all of which could materially and adversely affect our business and stock price.

Implementation of our new ERP system could disrupt business operations.

Our current ERP system will be replaced during 2022 as the system will no longer be supported by the software vendor after January 2023. Implementing a new ERP system is not only costly but complex and difficult. The implementation requires significant investments of time, money and resources and may result in the diversion of senior management’s attention from our ongoing operations. Furthermore, the implementation is expected to result in significant changes to many of our existing operational, financial and administrative business processes. The new ERP system will require us to implement new internal controls and to change our existing internal control framework and procedures during 2022. If unexpected delays, costs, technical problems or other significant issues arise in connection with the implementation, it could have a material negative impact on our operations, business, financial results and financial condition. There can be no assurance that we will successfully implement our new ERP system or that we will avoid these and other negative impacts from our implementation efforts.

If we do not further reduce corporate overhead costs following the sale of our Wireless segment, our earnings and margins will be lower than the larger peer broadband companies.

Our sales, general and administrative costs, including corporate overhead, are a higher percentage of revenue than larger broadband companies due to a lack of relative scale. If we cannot further reduce our corporate expenses, our earnings and margins will be lower than our peers which may affect the value of our stock price.

Our success depends on consistent supply of physical goods and services to build and sustain services to customers. Significant disruptions to the supply chain could adversely impact our growth and revenue projections.

The supply of critical physical supplies, such as modems, consumer Wi-Fi equipment, and fiber is important to our business operations. These materials form the core components needed to deliver both video and data services to our customers. We work to ensure we have a forward-looking supply of these items and redundancy of supply types and
21

Table of Contents
suppliers. However, global impacts to supply chains across all suppliers and manufacturers could result in significant supply issues. If supplies to these items became severely impacted, our plans to build out new networks could be adversely impacted. Additionally, the lack of certain equipment could limit our ability to service existing customers. Significant impact to physical equipment supply chains could materially and adversely affect our business, including reduced revenues, loss of customers and limitations on future growth. Additionally, at times we choose to leverage third-party suppliers to help us deliver services to customers because of efficiency reasons or because third-parties provide a service we cannot replicate easily. Should those third-party suppliers be impacted by either materials, equipment or resources, their inability to provide services to us could also negatively impact our ability to deliver network services or build out future network.

Our success largely depends on our ability to retain and recruit key personnel, and any failure to do so could adversely affect our ability to manage our business.

Our historical operational and financial results have depended, and our future results will depend, upon the retention and continued performance of our management team, as well as the attraction and retention of relevant key roles across our organization. The competition for talent for key roles in our industry, including our executive officers and key personnel to support our engineering, sales, service delivery, information technology, finance and accounting functions, is highly competitive and could adversely impact our ability to retain and hire new employees and contractors. The loss of the services of key members of executive management or other employees or contractors in critical roles, and the inability or delay in hiring new key employees and contractors could materially and adversely affect our ability to manage and expand our business and our future operational and financial results. Moreover, an inability to retain sufficient qualified personnel throughout our organization or to attract new personnel as we grow our business could adversely affect our ability to remediate the material weaknesses over financial reporting and thereafter maintain an effective system of internal controls and our ability to produce reliable financial reports, which could materially and adversely affect our financial results, financial condition and our stock price.

We could suffer a loss of revenue and increased costs, exposure to significant liability, reputational harm and other serious negative consequences if we sustain cyber-attacks or other data security breaches that disrupt our operations or result in the dissemination of proprietary or confidential information about us or our customers or other third parties.


We utilize our information technology infrastructure to manage and store various proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data relating to our operations. We routinely process, store and transmit large amounts of data for our customers, including sensitive and personally identifiable information. We depend on our information technology infrastructure to conduct business operations and provide customer services. We may be subject to data breaches and disruptions of the information technology systems we use for these purposes. Our industry has witnessed an increase in the number,frequency, intensity and sophistication of cybersecurity incidents caused by hackers and other malicious actors such as foreign governments, criminals, hacktivists, terrorists and insider threats. Hackers and other malicious actors may be able to penetrate our network security and misappropriate or compromise our confidential, sensitive, personal or proprietary information, or that of third parties, and engage in the unauthorized use or dissemination of such information. They may be able to create system disruptions, or cause shutdowns. Hackers and other malicious actors may be able to develop and deploy viruses, worms, ransomware and other malicious software programs that attack our products or otherwise exploit any security vulnerabilities of our systems. In addition, sophisticated hardware and operating system software and applications that we procure from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture, including “bugs,” cybersecurity vulnerabilities and other problems that could unexpectedly interfere with the operation or security of our systems.


Like many other companies, we increasingly leverage third-party SaaS solutions and external service providers to help us deliver services to our customers. In the delivery of these services, we are dependent on the security infrastructure of those third-party providers. These providers are also vulnerable to the myriad of cyber-attacks possible in today’s environment. In the case where a third-party provider becomes victim to an attack it could have an impact on our operations or ability to service customers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified certain risks to our operations and business, increasing phishing and other cybersecurity attacks as hackers and malicious actors try to exploit the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and an increase in the number of points of potential attack, such as laptops and mobile devices (both of which are now being used in increased numbers), and any failure to effectively manage these risks, including to timely identify and appropriately respond to any cyber-attacks, may adversely affect our business.

22

Table of Contents
To date, interruptions of our information technology infrastructure and third party suppliers have been infrequent and have not had a material impact on our operations. However, because technology is increasingly complex and cyber-attacks are increasingly sophisticated and more frequent, there can be no assurance that such incidents will not have a material adverse effect on us in the future. The consequences of a breach of our security measures or those of a third-party provider, a cyber-related service or operational disruption, or a breach of personal, confidential, proprietary or sensitive data caused by a hacker or other malicious actor could be significant for us, our customers and other affected third parties. For example, the consequences could include damage to infrastructure and property, impairment of business operations, disruptions to customer service, financial costs and harm to our liquidity, costs associated with remediation, loss of revenues, loss of customers, competitive disadvantage, legal expenses associated with litigation, regulatory action, fines or penalties or damage to our brand and reputation.

In addition, the costs to us to eliminate or address the foregoing security challenges and vulnerabilities before or after a cyber incidentcyber-incident could be significant. In addition, our remediation efforts may not be successful and could result in

interruptions, delays or cessation of service. We could also lose existing or potential customers for our services in connection with any actual or perceived security vulnerabilities in the services.

We are subject to laws, rules and regulations relating to the collection, use and security of user data. Our operations are also subject to federal and state laws governing information security. In the event of a data breach or operational disruption caused by an information security incident, such rules may require consumer and government agency notification and may result in regulatory enforcement actions with the potential of monetary forfeitures as well as civil litigation. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, expenses to comply with privacy and security standards and protocols imposed by law, regulation, industry standards and contractual obligations.

Negative outcomes of legal proceedings may adversely affect our business and financial condition.

We may become involved in legal proceedings from time to time. These proceedings may be complicated, costly and disruptive to our business operations. We might also incur significant expenses in defending these matters or may be required to pay significant fines, awards and settlements. Any of these potential outcomes, such as judgments, awards, settlements or orders could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results or our ability to do business.
Our balance sheet contains certain intangible assets including goodwill that we may be required to write off or write down in the future in the event of the impairment of certain of those assets arising from any deterioration in our future performance or other circumstances. Such write-offs or write-downs could adversely impact our earnings and stock price, and our ability to obtain financing in the future.
At December 31, 2018, we had $146.5 million in goodwill and $366.0 million of other intangible assets capitalized on our balance sheet, which collectively represented 34.5% of our total assets at that date.
We test our goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment annually or when events or circumstances warrant. If the testing performed indicates that impairment has occurred, we are required to record an impairment charge for the difference between the carrying value of the intangible asset and the fair value of the intangible asset, in the period in which the determination is made.
We may be required in the future to write off or write down certain intangible assets including goodwill in the event of deterioration in our future performance, sustained slower growth or other circumstances. Such a write-off or write-down could adversely impact our earnings and market price of our common stock, and our ability to obtain financing in the future.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting that, if not properly corrected, could materially adversely affect our operations and result in material misstatements in our financial statements.
In accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we, along with our independent registered public accounting firm, are required to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Failure to design and maintain effective internal control could constitute a material weakness which could result in inaccurate financial statements, inaccurate disclosures or failure to prevent fraud.

As of December 31, 2018, we did not maintain an effective control environment attributable to certain identified material weaknesses. We describe these material weaknesses in Item 9A. Controls and Procedures in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These control deficiencies create a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement to the consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis, and therefore we concluded that the deficiencies represent material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2018. The existence of these or other material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting could also result in errors in our financial statements that could require us to restate our financial statements, cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations and cause stockholders to lose confidence in our reported financial information, all of which could materially and adversely affect our business and stock price.

We have an underfunded non-contributory defined benefit pension plan.
Through our acquisition of nTelos, we assumed nTelos’ non-contributory defined benefit pension plan and other post-retirement benefit plans, covering all employees who met eligibility requirements and were employed by nTelos prior

to October 1, 2003. This pension plan was closed to nTelos employees hired on or after October 1, 2003. As of December 31, 2018, the plan was underfunded by approximately $5.1 million. See Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, included with the Notes to our consolidated financial statements for additional information regarding the accounting for the defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit plans. We do not expect that we will be required to make a cash contribution to the underfunded pension plan in 2019, but we may be required to make cash contributions in future periods depending on the level of interest rates and investment returns on plan assets.

Increases in our costs of providing benefits under our non-contributory defined benefit pension plan and other postretirement benefit plans could negatively impact our results of operations and cash flows.
The measurement of the plan obligations and costs of providing benefits under the defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit plans involves various factors, including the development of valuation assumptions and accounting policy elections. We are required to make assumptions and estimates that include the discount rate applied to benefit obligations, the long-term expected rate of return on plan assets, the anticipated rate of increase of health care costs, our expected level of contributions to the plan, the incidence of mortality, the expected remaining service period of plan participants, the level of compensation and rate of compensation increases, employee age, length of service, and the long-term expected investment rate credited to employees of certain plans, among other factors. If our benefit plans' costs increase, due to adverse changes in the securities markets, resulting in worse-than-assumed investment returns and discount rates, and adverse medical cost trends, our financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected.
Our business may be impacted by new or changing tax laws or regulations and actions by federal, state and/or local agencies, or how judicial authorities apply tax laws.
In connection with the products and services we sell, we calculate, collect and remit various federal, state and local taxes, surcharges and regulatory fees to numerous federal, state and local governmental authorities, including federal USF contributions and common carrier regulatory fees. In addition, we incur and pay state and local taxes and fees on purchases of goods and services used in our business.
Tax laws are subject to change as new laws are passed and new interpretations of the law are issued or applied. In many cases, the application of tax laws (including the recently enacted Tax Cuts and Jobs Act) is uncertain and subject to differing interpretations, especially when evaluated against new technologies and telecommunications services, such as broadband internet access and cloud related services.
In the event that we have incorrectly calculated, assessed or remitted amounts that were due to governmental authorities, we could be subject to additional taxes, fines, penalties or other adverse actions, which could materially impact our business, financial condition and operating results. In the event that federal, state and/or local municipalities were to significantly increase taxes on our network, operations or services, or seek to impose new taxes, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results or ability to do business.


Risks Related to the Wireless IndustryRegulation and Legislation

New disclosure or usage requirements could adversely affect the results of our wireless operations.

The FCC may impose additional consumer protection requirements upon wireless service providers, including billing-related disclosures and usage alerts. Such requirements could increase costs related to or impact the amount of revenue we receive from our wireless services.

Customer concerns over radio frequency emissions may discourage use of wireless handsets or expose us to potential litigation.

In the past, media reports and certain professional studies have suggested that certain radio frequency emissions from wireless handsets may be linked to various health problems, including cancer, and may interfere with various electronic medical devices, including hearing aids and pacemakers.  Additionally, the FCC has in the past commenced rulemakings and inquiries that seek public comment on a variety of issues, including whether revisions to the existing radio frequency standards and testing requirements are warranted.  Any decrease in demand for wireless services, increases in the costs of litigation or damage awards resulting from substantiation of harm from such emissions could impair our financial condition and results of operations.


Regulation by governmental authorities or potential litigation relating to the use of wireless handsets while driving could adversely affect the results of our wireless operations.

Some studies have indicated that some aspects of using wireless handsets while driving may impair driver's attention in certain circumstances, making accidents more likely.  These concerns could lead to litigation relating to accidents, deaths or serious bodily injuries, or to new restrictions or regulations on wireless phone use.  A number of state and local governments are considering or have enacted legislation that would restrict or prohibit the use of a wireless handset while driving a vehicle or, alternatively, require the use of a hands-free handset.  Additionally, certain federalgovernment agencies have adopted rules and proposed guidelines for the use of wireless handsets while operating commercial and non-commercial vehicles.  These rules, and any legislation that could be enacted, may require wireless service providers to supply to their subscribers hands-free enhanced services, such as voice-activated dialing and hands-free speaker phones and headsets, in order to continue generating revenue from subscribers, who make many of their calls while on the road.  If we are unable to provide hands-free services and products to subscribers in a timely and adequate fashion, the volume of wireless phone usage would likely decrease, and the ability of our wireless operations to generate revenues would suffer.

Risks Related to our Wireless Services

Our business may suffer as a result of competitive pressures.

Our revenue growth is primarily dependent on the growth of Sprint wireless subscribers and monthly recurring charges to these users.  Competitive pressures in the wireless services industry have increased. These competitive pressures in the wireless telecommunications market have caused some major carriers to offer unlimited plans at lower prices. Increased price competition could lead to lower monthly recurring charges or a loss of subscribers in the future. Continued competitive pressures could require Sprint to lower its prices, which will limit growth in monthly recurring charges to subscribers and could adversely affect our revenues, profitability and cash flows from operations.

We may not be able to implement our business plan successfully if our operating costs are higher than we anticipate.

Increased competition may lead to higher promotional costs to acquire Sprint's subscribers.  If these costs are more than we anticipate, the actual amount of funds available to implement our operating strategy and business plan may fall short of our estimates.

The dynamic nature of the wireless market may limit management’s ability to correctly identify causes of volatility in key operating performance measures.

Our business plan and estimated future operating results are based on estimates of key operating performance measures, including subscriber growth, subscriber turnover, commonly known as churn, average monthly revenue per subscriber, equipment revenue, subscriber acquisition costs and other operating costs.  Continued moves by all carriers to offer installment billing and leasing for wireless handsets will have an effect on revenues, cost of goods sold and churn. The dynamic nature of the wireless market, economic conditions, increased competition in the wireless telecommunications industry, the entry of potential new competitors due to past or future FCC spectrum auctions, new service offerings by Sprint or competitors at lower prices and other issues facing the wireless telecommunications industry in general have created a level of uncertainty that may adversely affect our ability to predict these key measures of performance.

We may experience a high rate of affiliate subscriber turnover, in our territory, which could adversely affect our future financial performance.

Subscriber turnover, or churn, has been relatively stable in recent years.  Because of significant competition in the industry, the popularity of prepaid wireless service offerings, and unlimited postpaid plans, changes to Sprint’s competitive position and economic uncertainty, among other factors, this relative stability may not continue and the future rate of subscriber turnover may be higher than in recent periods.

A high rate of churn could increase the sales and marketing costs we incur in obtaining new subscribers, especially because, consistent with industry practice, even with the introduction of wireless handset installment billing and leasing, we expect to continue to subsidize a portion of the costs related to the purchases of wireless handsets by some subscribers.

If we are unable to secure and retain tower sites, the level of service we provide could be adversely affected.

Many of our cell sites are co-located on leased tower facilities shared with one or more wireless providers. A large portion of these leased tower sites are owned by a limited number of companies. If economic conditions adversely affect the leasing company, then our ability to enter into leases at new locations may be affected, which could leave portions of our service area without service and increase subscriber turnover or adversely affect our ability to expand into new geographic areas.

Most of the towers that we own are located on leased real property. If such leases are not renewed, we may have to relocate those cell sites, which would create significant additional expenses, or leave portions of our service area without service, increasing the likelihood of subscriber turnover.

Our business could be adversely affected by findings of product liability for health/safety risks from wireless devices and transmission equipment, as well as by changes to regulations/radio frequency emission standards.

We do not manufacture the devices or other equipment that we sell, and we depend on our suppliers to provide defect-free and safe equipment. Suppliers are required by applicable law to manufacture their devices to meet certain governmentally imposed safety criteria. However, even if the devices we sell meet the regulatory safety criteria, we could be subject to claims along with the equipment manufacturers and suppliers for any harm caused by products we sell if such products are later found to have design or manufacturing defects.

Allegations have been made that the use of wireless handsets and wireless transmission equipment, such as cell towers, may be linked to various health concerns, including cancer and brain tumors. Lawsuits have been filed against manufacturers and carriers in the industry claiming damages for alleged health problems arising from the use of wireless handsets. In addition, the FCC has from time to time gathered data regarding wireless handset emissions and its assessment of this issue may evolve based on its findings. The media has also reported incidents of handset battery malfunction, including reports of batteries that have overheated. These allegations may lead to changes in regulatory standards. There have also been other allegations regarding wireless technology, including allegations that wireless handset emissions may interfere with various electronic medical devices (including hearing aids and pacemakers), airbags and anti-lock brakes. Defects in the products of our suppliers or their smartphone devices could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results or ability to do business.

Additionally, there are safety risks associated with the use of wireless devices while operating vehicles or equipment. Concerns over any of these risks and the effect of any legislation, rules or regulations that have been and may be adopted in response to these risks could limit our ability to sell our wireless services.

Risks Related to Our Relationship with Sprint

The performance of our wireless service provider Shenandoah Personal Communications, LLC, our largest operating subsidiary in terms of revenues and assets, may be adversely affected by any interruption in, or other adverse change to, Sprint’s business.

We rely significantly on Sprint’s ongoing operations to continue to offer wireless subscribers in our affiliated service area the seamless national services that we currently provide.  Any interruption in, or other adverse change to, Sprint’s business could adversely affect our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition.  Our business could also be adversely affected if competing national or regional wireless carriers are able to introduce new products and services or otherwise satisfy customers’ service demands more rapidly or more effectively than Sprint.

The costs associated with our ongoing participation in Sprint’s network upgrade and expansion plans may affect our operating results, liquidity and financial position.
Sprint continues to upgrade and expand its wireless network with the intention of improving voice quality, coverage and data speeds and simultaneously reducing future operating costs.  We participate in this plan and, to date, we have made significant upgrades in our service areas, but ongoing modernization efforts are expected to continue.

The continuing success of Sprint’s upgrade and expansion plans will depend on the timing, extent and cost of implementation and the performance of third parties. Should Sprint’s implementation plan be delayed, our margins

could be adversely affected and such effects could be material.  Should Sprint’s future delivery of services expected to be deployed on the upgraded network be delayed, it could potentially result in the loss of Sprint's subscribers to our competitors and adversely affect our revenues, profitability and cash flows from operations.

Sprint may make business decisions that are not in our best interests, which may adversely affect our business and our relationships with subscribers in our territory, increase our expenses and decrease our revenues.

Under its agreements with us, Sprint has a substantial amount of control over the operations of our wireless business.  Accordingly, Sprint may make decisions that could adversely affect our wireless business, such as the following:

Sprint could price its national plans based on its own objectives and could set price levels or other terms that may not be economically advantageous for us;

Sprint could develop products and services that could adversely affect our results of operations;

if Sprint’s costs to perform certain services exceed the costs they expect, subject to limitations under our Sprint Affiliate Agreement, Sprint could seek to increase the amounts charged to us for such services;

Sprint could make decisions that could adversely affect the Sprint brand names, reputation, or products or services, which could adversely affect our business;

Sprint could make technology and network decisions that could greatly increase our capital investment requirements and our operating costs to continue offering the seamless service we provide;

Sprint could restrict our ability to offer new services needed to remain competitive.  This could put us at a competitive disadvantage relative to other wireless service providers if those other wireless service providers begin offering those new services in our market areas, increasing our churn, adversely affecting our ability to obtain new subscribers and reducing our revenues and operating income from wireless services; and

Sprint may not be able to provide the amount of spectrum that is necessary to adequately operate our business.

In addition, if the pending business combination between T-Mobile US, Inc. (T-Mobile) and Sprint is completed, it is possible that the combined company may not want to continue our affiliate services arrangement with Sprint. For additional information, see the risk factor below titled "Some provisions of the Sprint agreements may diminish the value of our common stock and restrict or diminish the value of our business."

Our dependence on Sprint for services may limit our ability to forecast operating results.

Our dependence on Sprint injects a degree of uncertainty into our business and financial planning.  We may, at times, disagree with Sprint concerning the applicability, calculation approach or accuracy of Sprint-supplied revenue data. 

We are subject to risks relating to Sprint’s provision of back-office services and to changes in Sprint's products, services, plans and programs.

Any failure by Sprint to provide high-quality back-office services could lead to subscriber dissatisfaction, increased churn or otherwise increased costs or loss of revenue.  We rely on Sprint’s internal support systems, including customer care, billing and back-office support.  Our operations could be disrupted if Sprint is unable to provide or expand its internal support systems while maintaining acceptable service levels, or to efficiently outsource those services and systems through third-party vendors.

In addition, restrictions exist, and new restrictions are considered from time to time by Congress, federal agencies and states. Our reliance on Sprint to perform those functions could subject us to potential liabilities. 

The competitiveness of Sprint’s wireless products and services is a key factor in our ability to attract and retain subscribers.  Changes in Sprint’s wireless products and services may reduce subscriber additions, increase subscriber churn and decrease subscriber credit quality.


Sprint’s roaming arrangements to provide service outside of the Sprint National Network may not be competitive with other wireless service providers, which may restrict our ability to attract and retain subscribers and may increase our costs of doing business.providing service or require changes in services, either of which could impair our financial performance.

We rely on Sprint’s roaming arrangements with other wireless service providers for coverage in areas where Sprint wireless service is not available.  If customers are not able to roam quickly or efficiently onto other wireless networks, we may lose current subscribers and Sprint wireless services may be less attractive to new subscribers.

The risks related to our roaming arrangements include the following:

the quality of the service provided by another provider while roaming may not approximate the quality of the service provided by the Sprint wireless network;

the price of a roaming call off network may not be competitive with prices of other wireless companies for roaming calls, or may not be “commercially reasonable” (as determined by the FCC);

customers may not be able to use Sprint’s advanced features, such as voicemail notification, while roaming; and

Sprint or the carriers providing the service may not be able to provide accurate billing information on a timely basis.

Some provisions of the Sprint agreements may diminish the value of our common stock and restrict or diminish the value of our PCS business.

On April 29, 2018, T-Mobile and Sprint entered into a business combination agreement, pursuant to which T-Mobile and Sprint agreed to combine their respective businesses. It is possible that the combined company would not want to continue our affiliate services arrangement with Sprint. If the transaction is completed and we are unable to enter into a mutually acceptable addendum to the Sprint agreements with the combined company, the combined company under certain circumstances may purchase the operating assets of our wireless operations for a price equal to 90 percent of the entire business value ("EBV") as that term is defined in our agreement with Sprint. EBV is calculated as: (i) the fair market value of a going concern paid by a willing buyer to a willing seller in a change of control transaction; (ii) valued as if the business will continue to utilize existing brands and operate under existing agreements; and, (iii) valued as if we have continued access to the spectrum and the frequencies then in use in the network.  Under our agreement with Sprint, the determination of EBV is made by an independent appraisal process using the then-current customary means of valuing a wireless telecommunications business. If the combined company purchases our wireless operating assets, our affiliate services arrangement with Sprint would end, which generated approximately 68% of our total consolidated operating revenue in 2018, 72% in 2017 and 69% in 2016.

In addition, under limited circumstances involving non-renewal of the Sprint agreements or a breach by us, Sprint may purchase the operating assets of our wireless operations for a purchase price of 90% of EBV in the event of non-renewal, or 81% in the event that termination is the result of a material breach of the Agreement by Shentel. Sprint also must approve any assignment of the Sprint agreements by us and has a right of first refusal to purchase our wireless operating assets if we decide to sell those assets to a third party. 

These restrictions and other restrictions contained in the Sprint agreements could adversely affect the value of our common stock, may limit our ability to sell our wireless operating assets on advantageous terms, may reduce the value a buyer would be willing to pay to acquire those assets and may reduce the EBV, as described in the Sprint agreements. In addition, the possibility that the combined company may purchase the operating assets of our wireless operations may make it difficult for us to attract or retain employees or subscribers or pursue other business opportunities.

We may have difficulty in obtaining an adequate supply of wireless handsets from Sprint.

We depend on our relationship with Sprint to obtain wireless handsets.  Sprint orders wireless handsets from various manufacturers.  We could have difficulty obtaining specific types of wireless handsets in a timely manner if:

Sprint does not adequately project the need for wireless handsets, or enter into arrangements for new types of wireless handsets or other customer equipment, for itself, its wireless affiliates and its other third-party distribution channels, particularly in connection with the transition to new technologies;

Sprint gives preference to other distribution channels;

we do not adequately project our need for wireless handsets;

Sprint modifies its wireless handset logistics and delivery plan in a manner that restricts or delays access to wireless handsets; or

there is an adverse development in the relationship between Sprint and its suppliers or vendors.

The occurrence of any of the foregoing could result in a decrease in the wireless subscribers in our Sprint Affiliate Area or adversely affect our ability to attract new subscribers.

If Sprint does not continue to enhance its nationwide digital wireless network, we may not be able to attract and retain subscribers in our Sprint Affiliate Area.


Our wireless operations are dependent on Sprint’s national network.  Sprint’s digital wireless network may not provide nationwide coverage to the same extent as the networks of its competitors, which could adversely affect our ability to attract and retain subscribers in our Sprint Affiliate Area.  Sprint currently covers a significant portion of the population of the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Sprint offers wireless services, either on its own network or through its roaming agreements, in every part of the United States.

If Sprint’s wireless licenses are not renewed or are revoked, our wireless business would be harmed.

Wireless spectrum licenses are subject to renewal and revocationvarying degrees of regulation by the FCC.  There may be opposition to renewal of Sprint’s wireless licenses upon their expiration, and Sprint’s wireless licenses may not be renewed.  The FCC, has adopted specific standards to apply to wireless license renewals.  Any failure by Sprint to comply with these standards could cause revocation or forfeiture of Sprint’s wireless licenses, which would significantly harm us.

If Sprint does not maintain control over its licensed spectrum, our Sprint agreements may be terminated, which would render us unable to continue providing service. Sprint may also need additional spectrum to keep up with customer demandsthe Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the availabilityOccupational Safety and costHealth Administration, as well as by state and local regulatory agencies and franchising authorities. Action by these regulatory bodies could negatively affect our operations and our costs of this spectrum could impact our wirelessdoing business.

Risks Related to Our Cable Services

Our cable segment faces risks from increasing competition for the provision of video services, including competition resulting from new technologies.

Incumbent cable companies, which have historically provided video service, face competition from direct broadcast satellite providers, and more recently from large providers of wireline telecommunications services (such as Verizon, CenturyLink and AT&T), which have begun to upgrade their networks to provide video services in addition to voice and broadband services. Wireless providers are also entering the market for video services by making such services available on handsets and tablets.  In some areas, direct broadcast satellite providers have partnered with large incumbent telecommunications service providers to offer triple-play services.  Moreover, consumers are increasingly accessing video content from alternative sources, such as Internet-based “over the top” providers such as Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, and related platforms.  The influx of competitors in this area, together with the development of new technologies to support them, are resulting in significant changes in the video business models and regulatory provisions that have applied to the provision of video and other services. These developments may lead to a decline in the demand, price and profitability of our cable and related video services.

Our programming costs are subject to demands for increased payments.

The cable television industry has continued to experience an increase in the cost of programming, especially sports programming retransmission fees.  In addition, as we add programming to our video services for existing customers or distribute existing programming to more customers, we incur increased programming expenses.  Broadcasters affiliated with major over-the-air network services have been increasing their demands for cash payments and other concessions for the right to carry local network television signals on our cable systems. If we are unable to raise our customers’ rates, these increased programming costs could have an adverse impact on our results of operations. 

Moreover, as our programming contracts and retransmission agreements with programming providers expire, there can be no assurance that they will be renewed on acceptable terms.


Changes to key regulatory requirements can affect our ability to compete.


The cableOur industry is subject to extensive governmental regulation, which impacts many aspects of our operations. Legislators and regulators at all levels of government frequently consider changing, and sometimes do change, existing statutes, regulations, and interpretations thereof. Future legislative, judicial, or administrative actions may increase our costs or impose additional challenges and restrictions on our business.


Federal law strictly limits the scope of permissible cable rate regulation, and none of our local franchising authorities currently regulate our rates.rates for video services. Our rates for broadband services have historically not been subject to rate regulation. However, as broadband service is increasingly viewed as an essential service, governments could adopt new laws or regulations related to the rates charged to cable consumers have increased, Congress and the FCC have expressed concern about the impact on consumers, and they could impose restrictions affecting cable rates and programming packagesprices we charge for our services that could adversely impact our existing business model.


The Company operates data services and cable television systems in largely rural areas of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and MarylandKentucky pursuant to local franchise agreements. These franchises are not exclusive, and other entities may secure franchise authorizations in the future, thereby increasing direct competition to the Company.


Many franchises establish comprehensive facilities and service requirements, as well as specific customer service standards and monetary penalties for non-compliance. In many cases, franchises are terminable if the franchisee fails to comply with significant provisions set forth in the franchise agreement governing system operations. Franchises are generally granted for fixed terms and must be periodically renewed. Franchising authorities may resist granting a renewal if either past performance or the prospective operating proposal is considered inadequate. Franchise authorities often demand concessions or other commitments as a condition to renewal. OurIf our local franchises mayare not be renewed at expiration in which case we would have to cease operations or, operate under either temporary operating agreements or without a franchise while negotiating renewal terms with the local franchising authorities. We cannot offer assurance thatAlthough we will be able to comply with all significant provisionshave
23

Table of our franchise agreements.  Additionally, although Contents
historically we have renewed our franchises without incurring significant costs, we cannot offer assurance that we will be able to renew, or to renew as favorably, our franchises in the future. A termination of or a sustained failure to renew a franchise in one or more key markets or obtaining such franchise on unfavorable terms could adversely affect our business in the affected geographic area.


Pole attachments are wires and cables that are attached to utility poles. Cable system attachments to investor-owned public utility poles historically have been regulated at the federal or state level, generally resulting in reasonable pole attachment rates for attachments used to provide cable service. In contrast, utility poles owned by municipalities or cooperatives are not subject to federal regulation and are, with exceptions, generally exempt from state regulation and their attachment rates tend to be higher. Future regulatory changes in this area could impact the pole attachment rates we pay utility companies. In August 2018, the FCC adopted rules, scheduled

Regulatory constraints could impact our ability to become effective thirty (30) days after Office of Management and Budget approval, to permit a “one-touch” make-ready process for poles subject to its jurisdiction. The "one touch" make-ready rules allow third parties to alter certain components of existing attachments for "simple make-ready" (i.e. where the alteration of our components does not involve a reasonable expectation of a service outage, splicing, pole replacement or relocation of a wireless attachment). The rules are intended to promote broadband deployment and competition by facilitating communications attachments, although there are concerns regarding potential damage to existing networks by third parties. Utility pole owners have appealed the rules to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. We cannot predict the effect that these rules will have on our business when they ultimately take effect.

The FCC has periodically considered proposals for new regulations intended to make our cable set-top boxes open to other service providers. If enacted, such new regulations concerning set-top boxes could increase our cost for equipment, affect our relationship with our customers, and/or enable third parties to try to offer equipment that accesses disaggregated cable content merged with other services delivered over the Internet to compete with our premium service offerings.

Risks Related To Our Broadband Services

Increasesadequately address increases in broadband usage and may cause network capacity limitations, resulting in service disruptions, reduced capacity or slower transmission speeds for our customers.


Video streaming services, gaming and peer-to-peer file sharing applications use significantly more bandwidth than other Internet activity such as web browsing and email. As use of these newer services continues to grow, our broadband customers will likely use much more bandwidth than in the past. If this occurs, we could be required to make significant capital expenditures to increase network capacity in order to avoid service disruptions, service degradation or slower transmission speeds for our customers. Alternatively, we could choose to implement network management practices to reduce the network capacity available to bandwidth-intensive activities during certain times in market areas experiencing congestion, which could negatively affect our ability to retain and attract customers in affected markets. Competitive or regulatory constraints may preclude us from recovering costs of network investments designed to address these issues, which could adversely impact our operating margins, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.


Our broadband services may be adversely impacted by legislative or regulatory changes that affect our ability to develop and offer services or that could expose us to liability from customers or others.


The Company provides broadband Internet access services to its fiber, cable, fixed wireless and telephone customers through cable modems and DSL.customers. As the Internet has matured, it has become the subject of increasing regulatory interest. Congress and Federal regulators have adopted a wide range of measures directly or potentially affecting Internet use. The adoption of new Internet regulations or policies could adversely affect our business.


In 2015, the FCC determined that broadband Internet access services, such as those we offer, were a form of “telecommunications service” under the Communications Act and, on that basis, imposed rules banning service providers from blocking access to lawful content, restricting data rates for downloading lawful content, prohibiting the attachment of non-harmful devices, giving special transmission priority to affiliates, and offering third parties the ability to pay for priority routing. The 2015 rules also imposed a “transparency” requirement, i.e., an obligation to disclose all material terms and conditions of our service to consumers.


In December 2017, the FCC adopted an order repudiating its prior (2015) treatment of broadband as a “telecommunications service,” reclassifying broadband as an “information service,” and eliminating the rules it had imposed at that time (other than a transparency/disclosure-requirement, which it eased in significant ways). The FCC also ruled that state regulators may not impose obligations similar to federal obligations that the FCC removed. Various parties have challenged this ruling in court, and, we cannot predict how any such court challenges will be resolved. Moreover, it is possible that the FCC might further revise its approach to broadband Internet access, or that Congress might enact legislation affecting the rules applicable to the service.

On January 29, 2015, In 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the information service reclassification, but vacated the FCC’s blanket prohibition of state utility regulation of broadband services.The court left open the possibility that individual state laws could still be deemed preempted on a case-by-case basis if it is shown that they conflict with federal law.In October 2020 the FCC, responding to the court’s remand order, issued a further decision clarifying certain aspects of its earlier order. In this decision the FCC re-classified broadband internet access service as an unregulated information service, thus eliminating all federal regulatory "network neutrality" obligations beyond requiring broadband providers to accurately disclose network management practices, performance, and commercial terms of service.These issues may be revisited by the FCC in a nation-wide proceeding evaluating whether “advanced broadband” is being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion, increased the minimum connection speeds required to qualify as advanced broadband service to 25 Mbps for downloads and 3 Mbps for uploads.  As a result, the FCC concluded that advanced broadband was not being sufficiently deployed and initiated a new inquiry into what steps it might take to encourage broadband deployment.  This action may lead the FCC to adopt additional measures affecting our broadband business.  At the same time, the FCC has ongoing proceedings to allocate additional spectrum for advanced wireless service, which could provide additional wireless competition to our broadband business.current Administration.


24

Table of Contents
The FCC imposes obligations on telecommunications service providers, including broadband Internet access service providers, and multichannel video program distributors, like our cable company, intended to ensure that individuals with disabilities are able to access and use telecommunications and video programming services and equipment.company. We cannot predict the nature and pace these requirements and other developments, or the impact they may have on our operations.

Risks Related to Our Voice Servicesour Indebtedness

Offering voice communications service may subject us to additional regulatory burdens, causing us to incur additional costs.


We offer voice communications services overmay not have sufficient capital to fund our cable broadband networkexpansion plans and continue to develop and deploy VoIP services. The FCC has ruled that competitive telephone companies that support VoIP services, such as those we offer our customers, are entitled to interconnect with incumbent providers of traditional telecommunications services, which ensures that our VoIP services can compete in the market.  The scope of these interconnection rights are sometimes

contested by third-party providers, which may affect our ability to compete in the provision of voice services or result in additional costs.  The FCC has also declared that certain VoIP services are not subject to traditional state public utility regulation. The full extent of the FCC preemption of state and local regulation of VoIP services is not yet clear. Expanding our offering of these services may require us to obtain certain additional authorizations. We may not be able to obtain such authorizationsrepay future indebtedness.

As discussed in a timely manner, or conditions couldthe Risks Related to our Business section above, we expect our capital expenditures to exceed the cash flow provided from continuing operations through 2025 as we invest in our network expansion strategy. As of December 31, 2021, we had no indebtedness outstanding under our $400 million credit agreement. If our costs to expand our networks are greater than we anticipate, we may not have sufficient capital nor be imposed upon such licenses or authorizations thatable to secure additional capital on terms acceptable to us and may have to curtail our expansion plans. Upon drawing on available debt under our credit agreement, we may not be favorableable to us. Telecommunications companies generallygenerate sufficient cash flows from operations in 2026 and beyond or to raise additional capital in amounts necessary for us to repay the future indebtedness when such indebtedness becomes due and to meet our other cash needs.

General Risk Factors

Adverse economic conditions in the United States and in our market area involving significantly reduced consumer spending could have a negative impact on our results of operations.

Unfavorable general economic conditions could negatively affect our business. Although it is difficult to predict the impact of general economic conditions on our business, these conditions could adversely affect the affordability of, and customer demand for our services, and could cause customers to delay or forgo purchases of our services. Any national economic weakness, restricted credit markets, high inflation or high unemployment rates could depress consumer spending and harm our operating performance. In addition, any material adverse economic conditions that affect our geographic markets in particular could have a disproportionately negative impact on our results.

Negative outcomes of legal proceedings may adversely affect our business and financial condition.

We become involved in legal proceedings from time to time. While we are not currently involved in any material legal proceedings, potential future proceedings may be complicated, costly and disruptive to our business operations. We might also incur significant expenses in defending these matters or may be required to pay significant fines, awards and settlements. Any of these potential outcomes, such as judgments, awards, settlements or orders could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results or our ability to do business.

Our business may be impacted by new or changing tax laws or regulations and actions by federal, state and/or local agencies, or how judicial authorities apply tax laws.

In connection with the products and services we sell, we calculate, collect and remit various federal, state and local taxes, surcharges and regulatory fees to numerous federal, state and local governmental authorities, including federal USF contributions and regulatory fees. In addition, we incur and pay state and local taxes and fees on purchases of goods and services used in our business.

Tax laws are subject to change as new laws are passed and new interpretations of the law are issued or applied. In many cases, the application of tax laws is uncertain and subject to differing interpretations, especially when evaluated against new technologies and telecommunications services, such as broadband internet access and cloud related services.

In the event that we have incorrectly calculated, assessed or remitted amounts that were due to governmental authorities, we could be subject to additional taxes, fines, penalties or other significant regulationadverse actions, which could also be extendedmaterially impact our business, financial condition and operating results. In the event that federal, state and/or local municipalities were to VoIP providers. If additional telecommunications regulations are appliedsignificantly increase taxes on our network, operations or services, or seek to our VoIP service,impose new taxes, it could cause us to incur additional costs.

The FCC has already extended certain traditional telecommunications carrier requirements to many VoIP providers such as us, including E911, USF collection, CALEA, privacy of CPNI, number porting, rural call completion, network outage reporting, disability access, rural call completion and discontinuance of service requirements. In November 2014, the FCC adopted an order imposing limited backup power obligationshave a material adverse effect on providers of facilities-based fixed, residential voice services that are not otherwise line-powered, including our VoIP services.  This became effective for providers with fewer than 100,000 U.S. customer lines in August 2016 and now requires the Company to disclose certain information to customers and to make available back up power at the point of sale.

In November 2011, the FCC released an order significantly changing the rules governing intercarrier compensation payments for the origination and termination of telephone traffic between carriers, including VoIP service providers like us. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the rules in May 2014. The new rules have resulted in a substantial decrease in intercarrier compensation payments over a multi-year period.  In addition, the transition of the Local Number Portability Administrator may impact ourbusiness, financial condition, operating results or ability to manage number porting and related tasks, and/or may result in additional costs arising from the transition to a new administrator.do business.


25

Table of Contents
ITEM 1B.UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

ITEM 1B.UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.


ITEM 2.PROPERTIES

ITEM 2.PROPERTIES

The Company owns its corporate headquarters, which occupies a 60,000-square foot building in Edinburg, Virginia, and also owns or leases other warehouse,switching and data centers, office and retail space, in various locations toand warehouses that support its operations. The leases for the foregoing land, buildingsoperations located across a multi-state area covering large portions of central and tower space expire on various dates between 2019western Virginia, south-central Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and 2043.  For information about these leases, see Note 13, Commitmentsportions of Maryland, and Contingencies, included with the notes to the consolidated financial statements.Kentucky. The Company plans to lease additional land, equipment space, and retail space in support of its operations. The Company owns various additional buildings including:
a 26,500-square foot building in Edinburg, Virginia that houses the Company's main switching center and technical staff,
a 14,000-square foot building in Edinburg, Virginia that includes warehouse space and houses operations staff,
a 10,700-square foot building in Edinburg, Virginia used for customer services and retail sales,
a 17,500-square foot building in Waynesboro, Virginia that houses a switching and data center and technical staff,
a 15,500-square foot building in Waynesboro, Virginia that houses operational staff,
a 4,000-square foot building in Waynesboro, Virginia used for retail sales, and
a 15,600-square foot building in Clifton Forge, Virginia that is leased to a third party.

The Company owns nine telephone exchange buildings that are located in the major towns and some of the rural communities that are served by the regulated telecommunications operations. These buildings contain switching and fiber optic equipment and associated local exchange telecommunications equipment. The Company owns a building that houses customer service operations in Rustburg, Virginia. The Companyalso has fiber optic hubs or points of presence in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia.

The Company leases land, buildingsconsiders the properties owned or leased generally to be in good operating condition and tower space in support ofsuitable for its Wirelessbusiness operations. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had 1,853 PCS sites, including Wireless sites on property owned by the Company, and approximately 30 retail locations.


ITEM 3.LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

ITEM 3.LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
None

None.
ITEM 4.MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES


Not applicable
26



Table of Contents
PART II


ITEM 5.MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

ITEM 5.MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information
The Company's stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “SHEN.” The following table indicates the closing high and low sales prices per share of common stock as reported by the Nasdaq Global Select Market for each quarter during the last two years:
2018 High Low
20212021HighLow
Fourth Quarter $51.41
 $34.74
Fourth Quarter$32.15 $24.44 
Third Quarter 39.40
 31.10
Third Quarter57.54 28.70 
Second Quarter 39.65
 29.93
Second Quarter50.88 46.00 
First Quarter 38.60
 30.00
First Quarter51.03 38.77 
2020HighLow
Fourth Quarter$47.47 $42.87 
Third Quarter56.14 42.36 
Second Quarter58.64 44.22 
First Quarter49.50 39.32 
2017 High Low
Fourth Quarter $39.92
 $32.65
Third Quarter 38.58
 28.06
Second Quarter 32.48
 27.21
First Quarter 30.64
 25.67


As of February 22, 2019, there were 4,073 holders of record of the Company’s common stock.

Shenandoah Telecommunications Company historically has paid annual cash dividends during the fourth quarter of each year.  The cash dividend was $0.27 per share in 2018 and $0.26 per share in 2017.  Dividends are paid to Shenandoah Telecommunications Company shareholders from accumulated dividends paid to it by its operating subsidiaries. Under the Company’s credit agreement, the Company is restricted in its ability to pay dividends in the future.  So long as no Default or Event of Default, as defined in the credit agreement, exists before or will result after giving effect to such dividends, distributions or redemptions on a pro forma basis, the Company may declare or pay a lawful dividend or other distribution of assets, or retire, redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire capital stock in an aggregate amount which when added to any such dividends, distributions or redemptions of capital stock or other equity interest made, declared or paid from January 1, 2016 to the date of declaration, does not exceed $25 million plus 60% of the Company’s consolidated net income (excluding non-cash extraordinary items such as write-downs or write-ups of assets, other than current assets).

Stock Performance Graph
The following graph and table show the cumulative total shareholder return on the Company’s common stock compared to the Nasdaq US Index and the Nasdaq Telecommunications Index for the period between December 31, 20132016 and December 31, 2018.  The Nasdaq Telecommunications Index represents a wide mix of telecommunications service and equipment providers and smaller carriers that offer similar products and serve similar markets.2021. The graph assumestracks the performance of a $100 was invested oninvestment, with the reinvestment of all dividends, from December 31, 2013 in2016 to December 31, 2021.
shen-20211231_g2.jpg
27

Table of Contents
 201620172018201920202021
Shenandoah Telecommunications Company$100 $125 $164 $155 $163 $157 
NDAQ US$100 $121 $115 $151 $183 $230 
NDAQ Telecom Stocks$100 $100 $93 $118 $129 $136 

Holders
As of February 23, 2022, there were 3,676 holders of record of the Company’s common stock.

Dividend Policy
Under the Company’s credit agreement, the Company is restricted in its ability to pay dividends in the future. So long as no Default or Event of Default, as defined in the credit agreement, the Company may make, declare and pay lawful cash dividends or distributions to its shareholders or redeem capital stock in an aggregate amount not to exceed, when the Company’s Total Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the credit agreement) is greater than 4.00:1.00 on a pro forma basis, an amount equal to the greater of 6.0% of the net cash proceeds from any public equity issuance of the Company’s equity interests or 4.0% of the estimated fair market value of the Company’s equity interests or when the Company’s Total Net Leverage (as defined in the credit agreement) is less than or equal to 4.00:1.00 on a pro forma basis, an unlimited amount; provided, however, that the amount of any dividend or distribution that is not paid in cash but is reinvested in equity interests of the Company shall be excluded from this calculation and redemptions of equity interests of the other two indexes,Company surrendered by employees and directors to cover withholding taxes shall be excluded from this calculation.

The table below sets forth the cash dividends per share of our common stock that allour board of directors declared during the following years:
Years Ended December 31,
 20172018201920202021
Cash Dividend$0.26 $0.27 $0.29 $0.34 $18.82 

Cash dividends were reinvestedin 2021 include a special dividend of $18.75 per share declared in the third quarter of 2021 (the "Special Dividend") following the sale of our Wireless operations and market capitalization weighting as of December 31, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.assets.








Our performance graphs use comparable indexes provided by Nasdaq Global Indexes.

stockperformancegraph.jpg
 201320142015201620172018
Shenandoah Telecommunications Company$100
$124
$172
$220
$275
$361
NDAQ US$100
$112
$113
$128
$155
$147
NDAQ Telecom Stocks$100
$103
$106
$132
$132
$123

Dividend Reinvestment Plan
The Company maintains a dividend reinvestment plan (the “DRIP”) for the benefit of its shareholders. When shareholders remove shares from the DRIP, the Company issues whole shares in book entry form, pays out cash for any fractional shares, and cancels the fractional shares. In conjunction with the vesting of shares or exercise of stock options, the grantees may surrender awards necessary to cover the statutory tax withholding requirements and any amounts required to cover stock option strike prices associated with the transaction.


The following table provides information aboutPurchases of Equity Securities by the Company’s shares surrendered for the settlement of certain elements regarding equity award issuances and vesting events, during the three months ended December 31, 2018:Issuer or Affiliated Purchasers
None.
28
 Number of Shares
Surrendered
 Average Price
Paid per Share
October 1 to October 31250
 $38.43
November 1 to November 3038,207
 49.03
December 1 to December 31267
 47.40
Total38,724
 $48.95

Table of Contents

ITEM 6.[Reserved]

ITEM 6.SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA


The following table sets forth selected consolidated financial data for the years presented and at the dates indicated below. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of our results in any future periods. The summary of our consolidated financial data set forth below should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes, as well as the sections entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.


29
 Years Ended December 31,
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
Operating revenue$630,854
 $611,991
 $535,288
 $342,485
 $326,946
Operating expenses537,608
 565,481
 512,762
 268,399
 265,003
Operating income (loss)93,246
 46,510
 22,526
 74,086
 61,943
Interest expense34,847
 38,237
 25,102
 7,355
 8,148
Income tax expense (benefit)15,517
 (53,133) 2,840
 27,726
 22,151
          
Net income (loss)46,595
 66,390
 (895) 40,864
 33,883
Total assets1,484,766
 1,411,860
 1,484,407
 627,151
 619,242
          
Total debt - including current maturities770,242
 821,958
 829,265
 199,661
 224,250
          
Shareholder Information:         
Shares outstanding49,630,119
 49,327,671
 48,934,708
 48,475,132
 48,264,994
Earnings (loss) per share - basic$0.94
 $1.35
 $(0.02) $0.84
 $0.70
Earnings (loss) per share - diluted$0.93
 $1.33
 $(0.02) $0.83
 0.70
Cash dividends per share$0.27
 $0.26
 $0.25
 $0.24
 $0.24


Table of Contents


ITEM 7.MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

ITEM 7.MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
This annual report contains forward-looking statements within
You should read the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements regarding our expectations, intentions, or strategies regarding the future.  These statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements.  The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law. The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with Part II, Item 6 "Selected Financial Data" and our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition to historical consolidated financial information, the following discussion and analysis may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated by forward-looking statements as a result of many factors. We discuss factors that we believe could cause or contribute to these differences below and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including those set forth under“Part I. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors”.


Overview


Shenandoah Telecommunications Company and its subsidiaries, (the "Company"(“Shentel”, "we"“we”, "our"“our”, “us”, or "us"the “Company”), provide wireless personalis a provider of a comprehensive range of broadband communication service ("PCS") under the Sprint brand, and telephone service, cable television, unregulated communications equipment sales and services and internet access undercell tower colocation space in the Shentel brand. In addition,Mid-Atlantic portion of the Company operates an interstate fiber optic networkUnited States.

Management’s Discussion and leases its owned cell site towersAnalysis is organized around our reporting segments. Refer to both affiliatesItem 1 above for our description of our reporting segments and non-affiliated third-party wireless service providers. The Company's reportable segments include: Wireless, Cable, Wireline, and Other. See Note 17, Segment Reporting, included with the notes to our consolidated financial statements for further information regarding our segments. The following provides a description of the operations within our segments:

Wireless provides digital wireless mobile service as a Sprint PCS Affiliate in a multi-state area covering large portions of central and western Virginia, south-central Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and portions of Maryland, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Ohio, "our wireless network coverage area".  In these areas, we are the exclusive provider of Sprint-branded wireless mobility communications network products and services on the 800 MHz, 1900 MHz and 2.5 GHz spectrum bands.  Wireless also owns 208 cell site towers built on leased and owned land, and leases space on these towers to both affiliates and non-affiliated third party wireless service providers.

Cable provides video, broadband and voice services in franchise areas in portions of Virginia, West Virginia, and western Maryland, and leases fiber optic facilities throughout its service area.

Wireline provides regulated and unregulated voice services, internet broadband, long distance access services, and leases fiber optic facilities throughout portions of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

Additionally, our Other operations are represented by Shenandoah Telecommunications Company, the parent holding company, that provides investing and management services to the Company's subsidiaries.

Basis of Presentation

The Company adopted ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“Topic 606”), effective January 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective method as discussed intheir respective business activities. Also see Note 3,Discontinued Operations, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The following tables identify the impact of applying Topic 606 to the Company for the year ended December 31, 2018:


 Year Ended December 31, 2018
  Topic 606 Impact - CONSOLIDATED 
($ in thousands, except per share amounts)Prior to Adoption of Topic 606Changes in Presentation (1)Equipment Revenue (2)Deferred Costs (3)As Reported 12/31/2018
Service revenue and other$632,340
$(86,637)$
$16,753
$562,456
Equipment revenue8,298

60,100

68,398
Total operating revenue640,638
(86,637)60,100
16,753
630,854
Cost of services193,860


162
194,022
Cost of goods sold28,377
(24,518)60,100

63,959
Selling, general & administrative175,753
(62,119)
(412)113,222
Depreciation and amortization166,405



166,405
Total operating expenses564,395
(86,637)60,100
(250)537,608
Operating income (loss)76,243


17,003
93,246
Other income (expense)(31,134)


(31,134)
Income tax expense (benefit)10,926


4,591
15,517
Net income (loss)$34,183
$
$
$12,412
$46,595
      
Earnings (loss) per share     
Basic$0.69
  $0.25
$0.94
Diluted$0.68
  $0.25
$0.93
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic49,542
   49,542
Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted50,063
   50,063

(1) Amounts payable to Sprint for the reimbursement of costs incurred by Sprintand Note 15, Segment Reporting, in their national sales channel for commissions and device costs for both postpaid and prepaid, and to provide on-going support to their prepaid customers in our territory were historically recorded as expense when incurred. Under Topic 606, these amounts represent consideration payable to our customer, Sprint, and are recorded as a reduction of revenue. In 2017, these amounts were approximately $44.8 million for the postpaid national commissions, previously recorded in selling, general and administrative, $18.7 million for national device costs previously recorded in cost of goods and services, and $16.9 million for the on-going service to Sprint's prepaid customers, previously recorded in selling, general and administrative.

(2) Costs incurred by the Company for the sale of devices under Sprint’s device financing and lease programs were previously recorded net against revenue. Under Topic 606, the revenue and related costs from device sales are recorded gross. These amounts were approximately $63.8 million in 2017.

(3) Amounts payable to Sprint for the reimbursement of costs incurred by Sprint in their national sales channel for commissions and device costs, which historically have been expensed when incurred and presented net of revenue, are deferred and amortized against revenue over the expected period of benefit of approximately 21 to 53 months. In Cable and Wireline, installation revenues are recognized over a period of approximately 10-11 months. The deferred balance as of December 31, 2018 is approximately $75.8 million and is classified on the balance sheet as current and non-current assets, as applicable.

Recent Developments

Big Sandy Broadband, Inc. Acquisition: Effective February 28, 2019, the Company completed its acquisition of the assets of Big Sandy Broadband, Inc., ("Big Sandy"). Big Sandy has served Eastern Kentucky for 56 years and is the leading provider of cable television, telephone, and broadband services in Johnson and Floyd counties. All customary closing conditions have been satisfied. The acquisition of Big Sandy furthers Shentel's strategy to expand the Company's cable segment with the addition of quality networks in contiguous markets. Big Sandy adds approximately 4,747 customers to Shentel's expanding Cable segment.

Credit Facility Modification: On November 9, 2018, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “amended 2016 credit agreement”) with various financial institutions (the “Lenders”) and CoBank, ACB, as administrative agent for the Lenders.  These amendments resulted in several changes for the Company.  The amended 2016 credit agreement reduced near term principal payments, extended the maturity of both Term Loan A-1 and A-2, allowed access to the Revolver for an extended period of time, and reduced the applicable base interest rate by 75 basis points.  It also shifted $108.8 million in principal from Term Loan A-1 to Term Loan A-2. See Note 14, Long-Term Debt for additional information.

Sprint Territory Expansion: Effective February 1, 2018, we signed the Expansion Agreement with Sprint to expand our wireless network coverage area to include certain portions of Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, (the “Expansion Area”), effectively adding a population (POPs) of approximately 1.1 million. The agreement includes certain network build out requirements, and the ability to utilize Sprint’s spectrum in the Expansion Area along with certain other amendments to the Affiliate

Agreements. Pursuant to the Expansion Agreement, Sprint agreed to transition the provision of network coverage in the Expansion Area to us. The Expansion Agreement required a payment of $52.0 million to Sprint for the right to service the Expansion Area pursuant to the Affiliate Agreements plus an additional payment of up to $5.0 million after acceptance of certain equipment at the Sprint cell sites in the Expansion Area. A map of our territory, reflecting the new Expansion Area, is provided below:
shentelupdatedmapimagea01.jpg

Other Events

United States Tax Reform: In December 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “2017 Tax Act”) was enacted. The 2017 Tax Act represented major tax reform legislation that, among other provisions, reduced the U.S. corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. Certain income tax effects of the 2017 Tax Act, included approximately $0.8 million and $53.4 million of one-time non-cash tax benefits that were recorded in 2018 and 2017, respectively, principally due to the revaluation of our net deferred tax liabilities. See Note 16, Income Taxes, included with the notes to our consolidated financial statements for further information on the financial statement impact of the 2017 Tax Act.

Sprint Territory Expansion: Parkersburg - On April 6, 2017, we completed the expansion of our affiliate service territory, under our agreements with Sprint, to include certain areas in North Carolina, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia effectively adding approximately 500 thousand POPs in the Parkersburg, WV and Cumberland, MD areas.  The expanded territory includes the Parkersburg, WV, Huntington, WV, and Cumberland, MD, basic trading areas, (the "Parkersburg Expansion Area"). 

Acquisition of nTelos and Exchange with Sprint: On May 6, 2016, we completed the acquisition of NTELOS Holdings Corp. (“nTelos”) for $667.8 million, net of cash acquired.  The purchase price was financed by a credit facility arranged by CoBank, ACB.  We have included the operations of nTelos for financial reporting purposes for periods subsequent to the acquisition. For additional information regarding the acquisition of nTelos, please refer to Note 4, Acquisitions, included with the consolidated financial statements.

Results of Operations

Revenue


We earn revenue primarily through the sale of our wireless, cable and wireline telecommunications services that include video, broadband, voice, and data services. We also lease space on our cell site towers and our fiber network. Our revenue is primarily driven by the number of Sprint subscribers that utilize our wireless network as well as the number of our customers that subscribe to our cable and wireline services, our ability to retain our customers and the contractually negotiated price of such services.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses consist primarily of cost of services, cost of goods sold, selling, general and administrative, acquisition, integration and migration expense related to the nTelos acquisition, and depreciation and amortization expenses, described as follows:

Cost of Services - Cost of services consists primarily of network-related costs attributable to the operation of our wireless, cable and wireline networks, including network costs, site costs for telecommunications equipment, and maintenance expenses, programming costs for our Cable operations, and expenses for employees who provide direct contractual services to our clients, including salaries, benefits, discretionary incentive compensation, employment taxes, and equity compensation costs. In 2017 and 2016 our cost of services also included network and maintenance related expenses incurred to integrate nTelos. Cost of services does not include allocated amounts for occupancy expense and depreciation and amortization. Overall, we expect cost of services to grow as we expand our network to capitalize on expansion opportunities in our market, which will require us to add additional staff, enter into additional tower and ground leases, and incur additional backhaul and network expenses.

Cost of Goods Sold - Cost of goods sold consists primarily of the cost of handsets and accessories for our Wireless subscribers. It excludes any allocation of depreciation and amortization. We expect cost of goods sold to grow as we expand our network to capitalize on growth of the subscriber base.

Selling, General and Administrative - Our selling, general and administrative expense consists primarily of employee-related expenses, including salaries, benefits, commissions, discretionary incentive compensation, employment taxes, and equity compensation costs for our employees engaged in the administration of sales, sales support, business development, marketing, management information systems, administration, human resources, finance, legal, and executive management. Selling, general and administrative expense also includes occupancy expenses including rent, utilities, communications, and facilities maintenance, professional fees, consulting fees, insurance, travel, and other expenses. In 2017 and 2016 our selling, general and administrative expense also included certain general expenses, such as severance, incurred to integrate nTelos. Our sales and marketing expense excludes any allocation of depreciation and amortization. We expect our selling, general and administrative expenses to increase as we strategically invest in our sales support organization to expand our business, both organically and in our newly-acquired Sprint Expansion Areas.

Acquisition, Integration and Migration - Our acquisition, integration and migration expense consisted primarily of costs required to migrate subscribers acquired in the May 2016 acquisition of nTelos to the Sprint billing and network systems, costs required to integrate the acquired nTelos administrative and operational support functions, severance costs for former nTelos employees who were not retained, transaction related fees; and gains or losses associated with the disposal of certain property. We completed the migration of nTelos subscribers to the Sprint network during 2017.

Depreciation and Amortization Expense - Our depreciation and amortization expense consists primarily of depreciation of fixed assets, and amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets. We expect our depreciation and amortization expense to increase as we expand our networks organically and through acquisitions.

Other Income (Expense)

Our other income (expense) consists primarily of interest expense, net gain (loss) on investments, and net non-operating income (loss), described as follows:

Interest Expense - Interest expense represents interest incurred on our Credit Facilities (as defined below, under the heading Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources, and in Note 14, Long-Term Debt). We expect our interest expense to fluctuate in proportion to the outstanding principal balance of the Credit Facilities and the prevailing London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") interest rate.

Gain (Loss) on Investments, net - Net gain (loss) on investments, consists of gains and losses realized as changes occur in the value of the assets and obligation underlying the Company’s Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan ("SERP")

retirement plan. We expect our net gain (loss) on investments to fluctuate in proportion to the prevailing market conditions as they relate to our SERP assets and obligations.

Non-Operating Income (Loss), net - Net non-operating income (loss), primarily represents interest and dividends earned from our investments, including our patronage arrangement that is connected to our Credit Facility. We expect our non-operating income (loss) to fluctuate in proportion to the amount of funds we invest and the continuation of the patronage arrangement.

Income Tax Expense (Benefit)

Our provision for income taxes consists of federal and state income taxes in the United States, and the effect of the 2017 Tax Act, including deferred income taxes reflecting the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes, and excess tax benefits or shortfalls derived from exercises of stock options and vesting of restricted stock.

We expect that in the near-term our effective tax rate may fluctuate due to the effect of the 2017 Tax Act and the recognition of excess tax benefits and tax shortfalls associated with the exercise of stock options or the vesting of restricted stock. Excluding discrete items impacting the effective tax rate, we expect our long-term tax rate to reflect the applicable federal and state statutory rates. Refer to Note 16, Income Taxes, included with the notes to our consolidated financial statements for additional information concerning income taxesinformation.

2021 Developments

On July 1, 2021, pursuant to the previously announced Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”), dated May 28, 2021, between Shentel and T-Mobile USA, Inc. (“T-Mobile”), Shentel completed the effectssale to T-Mobile of its Wireless assets and operations for cash consideration of approximately $1.94 billion, inclusive of the 2017 Tax Act.approximately $60 million settlement of the waived management fees by Sprint Corporation, an indirect subsidiary of T-Mobile (“Sprint”), and net of certain transaction expenses (the “Transaction”). The Company’s Wireless assets and operations were classified as discontinued operations after Sprint delivered notice to the Company exercising its option to purchase the Wireless assets and operations on August 26, 2020.



Due to the availability of grants awarded under various governmental initiatives, in support of rural fiber to the home ("FTTH") broadband network expansion projects, we ceased further expansion of our fixed wireless edge-out strategy. As a result, in the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company incurred approximately $6.0 million of expenses for impairment of expansionary Beam construction assets. The Company plans to continue to operate the existing Beam network and continue sales and marketing activities to attract new customers; therefore, our remaining Beam assets and operations will continue to be classified as continuing operations.

Our historical results of operations have been retroactively revised to reflect the correction of an immaterial error related to the capitalization of certain customer installation costs for our Broadband segment. These revisions ensure comparability across all periods reflected herein. Refer to Note 1, Nature of Operations, found in our consolidated financial statements contained herein for additional information.
30

Table of Contents
Results of Operations


2018Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared with 2017to Year Ended December 31, 2020


The Company’s consolidated results from operations are summarized as follows:
Year Ended December 31,Change
($ in thousands)2021% of Revenue2020% of Revenue$%
Revenue$245,239 100.0 $220,775 100.0 24,464 11.1 
Operating expenses247,669 101.0 223,376 101.2 24,293 10.9 
Operating loss(2,430)(1.0)(2,601)(1.2)171 (6.6)
Other income, net8,665 3.5 3,187 1.4 5,478 171.9 
Income before taxes6,235 2.5 586 0.3 5,649 964.0 
Income tax benefit(1,694)(0.7)(990)(0.4)(704)(71.1)
Income from continuing operations7,929 3.2 1,576 0.7 6,353 403.1 
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax990,902 404.1 124,097 56.2 866,805 698.5 
Net income$998,831 407.3 $125,673 56.9 873,158 694.8 
  Year Ended December 31, Change
($ in thousands) 2018% of Revenue 2017% of Revenue $ %
Operating revenue $630,854
100.0
 $611,991
100.0
 18,863
 3.1
Operating expenses 537,608
85.2
 565,481
92.4
 (27,873) (4.9)
Operating income (loss) 93,246
14.8
 46,510
7.6
 46,736
 100.5
           
Interest expense (34,847)(5.5) (38,237)(6.2) (3,390) (8.9)
Other income (expense), net 3,713
0.6
 4,984
0.8
 (1,271) (25.5)
Income (loss) before taxes 62,112
9.8
 13,257
2.2
 48,855
 368.5
Income tax expense (benefit) 15,517
2.5
 (53,133)(8.7) 68,650
 129.2
Net income (loss) $46,595
7.4
 $66,390
10.9
 (19,795) (29.8)


Revenue
Operating revenue
Operating revenueRevenue increased approximately $18.9$24.5 million, or 3.1%11.1%, in 20182021 compared with 2017. Excluding the impact of adopting Topic 606, operating revenue increased approximately $28.6 million, or 4.7%,2020, driven by 11.6% growth in Broadband and 3.8% growth in the WirelessTower segments. Refer to the discussion of the results of operations for the Tower and Cable operations.Broadband segments, included within this annual report, for additional information.


Operating expenses
Operating expenses decreasedincreased approximately $27.9$24.3 million, or 4.9%10.9%, in 20182021 compared with 2017. Excluding the impact of adopting Topic 606,2020, primarily driven by $7.4 million in incremental Broadband operating expenses decreased approximately $1.1incurred to support the continuing expansion of Glo Fiber, $1.7 million or 0.2%,of restructuring expenses and $6.0 million of impairment expenses incurred primarily as a result of our decision to cease expansion of Beam, $6.4 million in depreciation from growth in our broadband networks, $5.8 million in Broadband maintenance due primarily to the absencehigher cable replacements costs, obsolete inventory charges and expensing of acquisition, integration and migrationsoftware development costs related to the completion of the transformation of the nTelos networkour current ERP system that will be replaced in 2017 as well as lower depreciation and amortization costs due to the retirement of assets acquired with nTelos,2022, partially offset by increased costs necessary to support our continued growth and expansion.a decline in corporate expenses.

Interest expense
Interest expense decreased approximately $3.4 million, or 8.9%, in 2018 compared with 2017. The decrease in interest expense was primarily attributable to the 2018 amendments to the Credit Facility Agreement that reduced the applicable base interest rate by 75 basis points, partially offset by the effect of increases in the LIBOR.


Other income, (expense), net
Other income, net decreased approximately $1.3increased $5.5 million or 25.5%,primarily due to actuarial gains recognized for the Company's post-retirement benefit plans and transitional service agreement ("TSA") income realized in 2018 compared with 2017. The decrease was primarily attributable to a reduction in interest income related to the former nTelos equipment installment plan. The integration of the acquired nTelos business was completed during 2017.2021.


Income tax expense (benefit)benefit
Income tax expense increased $68.7 million from a $53.1 million benefit in 2017 to a $15.5 million expense in 2018. The increase was primarily attributable to growth in our income before taxes during 2018 and the one-time non-cash tax benefit of $53.4approximately $1.7 million recordedincreased approximately $0.7 million compared with 2020, primarily due to a $5.0 million of non-cash tax benefits derived from the revaluation of our deferred tax liabilities driven by the change in 2017our estimated state tax rate that was triggered by the disposition of our Wireless assets and operations and a change in West Virginia tax regulations, partially offset by a $1.6 million reclassification of income taxes from other comprehensive income as a result of theterminating our interest rate swaps, a $1.1 million reduction in the U.S. corporate incomeexcess tax ratebenefits from 35% to 21%share based compensation and other and $1.6 million as the 2017 Tax Act became effective.a result of changes in taxable income.

Income from discontinued operations, net of tax
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax, increased $0.9 billion, or 698.5%. The Company's effective tax rate increased from a benefit of 400.8% in 2017 to an expense of 25.0% in 2018. Refer to Note 16, Income Taxes for additional information concerning income taxes.

2017 Compared with 2016

The Company’s consolidated results from operations are summarized as follows:
  Year Ended December 31, Change
($ in thousands) 2017% of Revenue 2016% of Revenue $ %
Operating revenue $611,991
100.0
 $535,288
100.0
 76,703
 14.3
Operating expenses 565,481
92.4
 512,762
95.8
 52,719
 10.3
Operating income (loss) 46,510
7.6
 22,526
4.2
 23,984
 106.5
           
Other income (expense), net (33,253)(5.4) (20,581)(3.8) 12,672
 61.6
Income (loss) before taxes 13,257
2.2
 1,945
0.4
 11,312
 581.6
Income tax expense (benefit) (53,133)(8.7) 2,840
0.5
 (55,973) (1,970.9)
Net income (loss) $66,390
10.8
 $(895)(0.2) 67,285
 7,517.9

Operating revenues
Operating revenues increased approximately $76.7 million, or 14.3%, in 2017 compared with 2016. Wireless segment revenues increased $66.3 million compared with 2016; this increase was primarily due to the expansioncompletion of the disposition of our Wireless network coverage area through our 2016 acquisition of nTelos. Cable segment revenue grew approximately $10.4 million, primarily as a result of a 1.2% growth in average revenue generating unitsassets and a 8.3% increase in revenue per subscriber. Wireline segment revenue increased approximately $4.3 million, led by growth in carrier access fees, fiber revenues and internet service revenues.

Operating expenses
Total operating expenses increased approximately $52.7 million, or 10.3%, in 2017 compared with 2016.  Wireless operating expenses increased approximately $58.4 million primarily due to our 2016 acquisition of nTelos that resulted in additional network costs required to support our expanded Wireless network, while operating expenses in our Other operations decreased approximately $6.8 million, primarily due to the completion of integration activities associated with the acquisition of nTelos. Cable and Wireline operating expenses increased approximately $1.6 million and $3.8 million, respectively. Within consolidated operating expenses, cost of goods and services sold increased approximately $18.0 million, selling, general and administrative expenses increased approximately $32.6 million, depreciation and amortization increased approximately $33.3 million, primarily due to our 2016 acquisition of nTelos. Increases in operating expenses were offset by a decrease in acquisition, integration and migration costsfor proceeds of approximately $31.2 million as$1.9 billion resulting in a resultgain of the completion$1.2 billion, net of integration and migration activities related to the acquisitionapproximately $0.3 billion of nTelos.

Other income (expense)
Other expense increased approximately $12.7 million or 61.6% in 2017 compared with 2016, primarily due to an increase in interest expense due to borrowings, related to our acquisition of nTelos, under our credit facility that were outstanding for the full year 2017.

Income tax expense (benefit)
The Company’s effective tax rate decreased from an expense of 146.0% in 2016 to a benefit of 400.8% in 2017. The decrease is primarily attributable to the changes in federal tax regulations related to the 2017 Tax Act that was enacted during December 2017 and non-deductible transactions costs incurred in 2016. We are expecting our long-term tax rate to more closely reflect the applicable federal and statutory rates offset for any excess tax benefits or shortfalls related to vesting or exercise of equity awards.

We recognized an income tax benefitexpense.

31

Table of approximately $53.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. This includes a one-time non-cash decrease of approximately $53.4 million in our net deferred tax liabilities as a result of the remeasurement of our deferred tax assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2017 to reflect the reduction in the U.S. corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. The 2017 Tax Act alsoContents
Broadband

Our Broadband segment provides immediate expensing for certain qualified assets acquired and placed into service after September 27, 2017 as well as prospective changes beginning in 2018, including acceleration of tax revenue recognition, additional limitations on deductibility executive compensation and limitations on the deductibility of interest.


Wireless

Wireless earns postpaid, prepaid and wholesale revenues from Sprint for their subscribers that use our Wireless network service in our Wireless network coverage area. The Company's wireless revenue is variable based on billed revenues to Sprint's customers in the Sprint Affiliate Area less applicable fees retained by Sprint. Sprint retains an 8% Management Fee and an 8.6% Net Service Fee on postpaid revenues and a 6% Management Fee on prepaid wireless revenues. For postpaid, the Company is also charged for the costs of subsidized handsets sold through Sprint's national channels as well as commissions paid by Sprint to third-party resellers in our service territory. Sprint also charges the Company separately to acquire and support prepaid customers. These charges are calculated based on Sprint's national averages for its prepaid programs, and are billed per user or per gross additional customer, as appropriate.

Under our amended affiliate agreement, Sprint agreed to waive the Management Fees charged on both postpaid and prepaid revenues, up to approximately $4.2 million per month, until the total amount waived reaches approximately $255.6 million, which is expected to occur in 2022. The cash flow savings of the waived management fee waiver have been incorporated into the fair value of the affiliate contract expansion intangible, which is reduced, in part, as credits are received from Sprint.

The following table identifies the impact of Topic 606 on the Company's Wireless operations for the year ended December 31, 2018:
 Year Ended December 31, 2018
  Topic 606 Impact - WIRELESS 
($ in thousands)Prior to Adoption of Topic 606Changes in Presentation (1)Equipment Revenue (2)Deferred Costs (3)As Reported 12/31/2018
Service revenue$450,735
$(86,637)$
$16,720
$380,818
Equipment revenue7,410

60,100

67,510
Tower and other revenue14,327



14,327
Total operating revenue472,472
(86,637)60,100
16,720
462,655
Cost of services131,166



131,166
Cost of goods sold28,001
(24,518)60,100

63,583
Selling, general & administrative109,657
(62,119)

47,538
Depreciation and amortization127,521



127,521
Total operating expenses396,345
(86,637)60,100

369,808
Operating income (loss)$76,127
$
$
$16,720
$92,847

(1) Amounts payable to Sprint for the reimbursement of costs incurred by Sprint in their national sales channel for commissions and device costs for both postpaid and prepaid, and to provide on-going support to their prepaid customers in our territory were historically recorded as expense when incurred. Under Topic 606, these amounts represent consideration payable to our customer, Sprint, and are recorded as a reduction of revenue. In 2017, these amounts were approximately $44.8 million for the postpaid national commissions, previously recorded in selling, general and administrative, $18.7 million for national device costs previously recorded in cost of goods and services, and $16.9 million for the on-going service to Sprint's prepaid customers, previously recorded in selling, general and administrative.

(2) Costs incurred by the Company for the sale of devices under Sprint’s device financing and lease programs were previously recorded net against revenue. Under Topic 606, the revenue and related costs from device sales are recorded gross. These amounts were approximately $63.8 million in 2017.

(3) Amounts payable to Sprint for the reimbursement of costs incurred by Sprint in their national sales channel for commissions and device costs, which historically have been expensed when incurred and presented net of revenue, are deferred and amortized against revenue over the expected period of benefit of approximately 21 to 53 months. The deferred balance as of December 31, 2018 is approximately $75.8 million and is classified on the balance sheet as current and non-current assets, as applicable.

The following tables indicate selected operating statistics of Wireless, including Sprint subscribers:

  December 31,
2018 (3)
 December 31,
2017 (4)
 December 31,
2016 (5)
Postpaid:      
Retail PCS subscribers - postpaid 795,176
 736,597
 722,562
Gross PCS subscriber additions - postpaid 190,334
 173,871
 132,593
Net PCS subscriber additions (losses) - postpaid 58,579
 14,035
 5,085
PCS average monthly retail churn % - postpaid 1.82% 2.04% 1.84%
Prepaid:      
Retail PCS subscribers - prepaid (1) 258,704
 225,822
 206,672
Gross PCS subscriber additions - prepaid (1) 150,662
 151,926
 102,352
Net PCS subscriber additions (losses) - prepaid (1) 32,882
 19,150
 (58,643)
PCS average monthly retail churn % - prepaid (1) 4.45% 5.07% 6.72%
       
PCS market POPS (000) (2) 7,023
 5,942
 5,536
PCS covered POP (000) (2) 6,109
 5,272
 4,807
CDMA base stations (sites) 1,853
 1,623
 1,467
Towers owned 208
 192
 196
Non-affiliate cell site leases 193
 192
 202

(1)
As of September 2017, the Company is no longer including Lifeline subscribers to be consistent with Sprint's policy. Historical customer counts have been adjusted accordingly.
(2)
"POPS" refers to the estimated population of a given geographic area.  Market POPS are those within a market area which we are authorized to serve under our Sprint PCS affiliate agreements, and Covered POPS are those covered by our network. The data source for POPS is U.S. census data. Historical periods previously referred to other third party population data and have been recast to refer to U.S. census data.
(3)
Beginning February 1, 2018 includes Richmond Expansion Area except for gross PCS subscriber additions.
(4)
Beginning April 6, 2017 includes Parkersburg Expansion Area except for gross PCS subscriber additions.
(5)Beginning May 6, 2016 includes acquired nTelos Area except for gross PCS subscriber additions.

The subscriber statistics shown above, excluding gross additions, include the following:
  February 1,
2018
 April 6,
2017
 May 6,
2016
  Expansion Area Expansion Area nTelos Area
PCS subscribers - postpaid 38,343
 19,067
 404,965
PCS subscribers - prepaid (1) 15,691
 4,517
 154,944
Acquired PCS market POPS (000) 1,082
 511
 3,099
Acquired PCS covered POPS (000) 602
 244
 2,298
Acquired CDMA base stations (sites) (2) 105
 
 868
Towers 
 
 20
Non-affiliate cell site leases 
 
 10

(1)
Excludes Lifeline subscribers.
(2)As of December 31, 2018 we have shut down 107 overlap sites associated with the nTelos Area.

2018 Compared with 2017

Wireless results from operations are summarized as follows:
  Year Ended December 31, Change
($ in thousands) 2018% of Revenue 2017% of Revenue $ %
Wireless operating revenue          
Wireless service revenue $380,818
82.3 $431,184
94.7 (50,366) (11.7)
Tower lease revenue 11,622
2.5 11,604
2.5 18
 0.2
Equipment revenue 67,510
14.6 9,467
2.1 58,043
 613.1
Other revenue 2,705
0.6 2,823
0.7 (118) (4.2)
Total wireless operating revenue 462,655
100.0 455,078
100.0 7,577
 1.7
Wireless operating expenses          
Cost of services 131,166
28.4 129,626
28.5 1,540
 1.2
Cost of goods sold 63,583
13.7 22,653
5.0 40,930
 180.7
Selling, general and administrative 47,538
10.3 118,257
26.0 (70,719) (59.8)
Acquisition, integration and migration expenses 
 10,793
2.4 (10,793) (100.0)
Depreciation and amortization 127,521
27.6 139,610
30.7 (12,089) (8.7)
Total wireless operating expenses 369,808
79.9 420,939
92.5 (51,131) (12.1)
Wireless operating income (loss) $92,847
20.1 $34,139
7.5 58,708
 172.0

Operating revenue
Wireless operating revenue increased approximately $7.6 million, or 1.7%, in 2018 compared with 2017. Excluding the impact of Topic 606, wireless operating revenue increased approximately $17.4 million, or 3.8%. This increase was driven by growth in postpaid and prepaid PCS subscribers, improvements in average monthly churn, and was partially offset by a decline in postpaid average revenue per subscriber primarily related to promotions and discounts.

As a result of the adoption of Topic 606 in 2018, wireless service revenue was reduced by approximately $86.6 million of costs payable to Sprint, our customer, related to the reimbursement to Sprint for costs incurred in their national sales channel for commissions and device costs for both postpaid and prepaid, and to provide ongoing support to their prepaid customers in our territory. Commissions, device costs and costs for ongoing support of Sprint's prepaid customers were previously recorded as operating expenses. Additionally, we recorded $60.1 million of equipment revenue and cost of goods sold for the sale of devices under Sprint’s device financing and lease programs. Prior to the adoption of Topic 606, equipment costs were presented net of equipment revenue.

The table below provides additional detail for Wireless service revenue.

  Year Ended December 31, Change
($ in thousands) 2018 2017 $ %
Wireless service revenue:        
Postpaid billings (1) $383,235
 $372,237
 10,998
 3.0
Amortization of deferred contract and other costs (3) (18,742) 
 18,742
 100.0
Management fee (30,749) (29,857) 892
 3.0
Net service fee (32,969) (30,751) 2,218
 7.2
Total postpaid service revenue 300,775
 311,629
 (10,854) (3.5)
Prepaid billings (2) 111,462
 103,161
 8,301
 8.0
Amortization of deferred contract and other costs (3) (52,846) 
 52,846
 100.0
Sprint management fee (7,014) (6,189) 825
 13.3
Total prepaid service revenue 51,602
 96,972
 (45,370) (46.8)
Travel and other revenue (2) 28,441
 22,583
 5,858
 25.9
Total service revenue $380,818
 $431,184
 (50,366) (11.7)

(1)Postpaid net billings are defined under the terms of the affiliate contract with Sprint to be the gross billings to customers within our wireless network coverage area less billing credits and adjustments and allocated write-offs of uncollectible accounts.
(2)The Company includes Lifeline subscribers revenue within travel and other revenue to be consistent with Sprint. The above table reflects the reclassification of the related Assurance Wireless prepaid revenue from prepaid gross billings to travel and other revenue.
(3)Due to the adoption of Topic 606, costs reimbursed to Sprint for commission and acquisition cost incurred in their national sales channel are recorded as a reduction of revenue and amortized over the period of benefit. Additionally, costs reimbursed to Sprint for the support of their prepaid customer base are recorded as a reduction of revenue. These costs were previously recorded in cost of goods sold, and selling, general and administrative.

The decline in postpaid service revenue during 2018 was primarily the result of the adoption of Topic 606. Excluding the impact of adopting Topic 606, postpaid service revenue increased approximately $6.2 million or 2.0%, primarily due to growth of approximately 58.6 thousand postpaid PCS retail subscribers and an improvement in postpaid PCS average monthly retail churn, partially offset by a decline in average revenue per subscriber. The growth in our postpaid PCS retail subscribers includes approximately 38.3 thousand acquired with the Richmond Expansion Area. Postpaid service revenue was further reduced by approximately $2.2 million due to an increase in net service fee as nTelos subscribers were migrated to Sprint’s billing and back-office systems. The migration of these subscribers resulted in the elimination of costs to operate the nTelos back-office systems which were recorded in selling, general and administrative.

The decline in prepaid service revenue during 2018, was primarily the result of the adoption of Topic 606. Excluding the impact of adopting Topic 606, prepaid service revenue increased approximately $7.5 million or 7.7% due to growth of approximately 32.9 thousand prepaid PCS retail subscribers, improvements in prepaid PCS average monthly retail churn and average revenue per subscriber. The growth in our prepaid PCS retail subscribers includes approximately 15.7 thousand subscribers acquired with the Richmond Expansion Area.

Travel and other revenue increased $5.9 million, or 25.9%, in 2018 compared with 2017, primarily due to Lifeline subscribers acquired through our expansion events.

Cost of services
Cost of services increased approximately $1.5 million, or 1.2%, in 2018 compared with 2017, primarily due to the expansion of our network and wireless network coverage area and was partially offset by repricing Wireless backhaul circuits to market rates and migrating Wireless voice traffic from traditional circuit-switched facilities to more cost effective VoIP facilities.

Cost of goods sold
Cost of goods sold increased approximately $40.9 million, or 180.7%, in 2018 compared with 2017. The increase in costs of goods sold was primarily the result of the reclassification of approximately $60.1 million of expenses for equipment costs, which were previously classified as reductions of revenue, and was partially offset by $24.5 million of costs incurred for subsidy loss reimbursements that are now presented within revenue, driven by the adoption of Topic 606. Excluding the impact of the adoption of Topic 606, cost of goods sold increased approximately $5.3 million, or 23.6% due to an increase in equipment costs primarily related to prepaid handsets.

Selling, general and administrative
Selling, general and administrative costs decreased approximately $70.7 million, or 59.8%, in 2018 compared with 2017. The decrease in selling, general and administrative was primarily attributable to the reclassification of approximately $62.1 million of

commissions and subscriber acquisition costs to reductions of revenue as required by the adoption of Topic 606. Excluding the impact of Topic 606, selling, general and administrative costs decreased approximately $8.6 million, or 7.3% primarily due to a reduction of back-office expenses required to support former nTelos subscribers that migrated to the Sprint back-office during 2017.

Acquisition, integration and migration expenses
Acquisition and integration costs were not incurred during 2018, as the completion of integration and migration activities related to the acquisition of nTelos was completed during 2017.

Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation and amortization decreased approximately $12.1 million, or 8.7%, in 2018 compared with 2017, primarily due to the retirement of assets acquired in the nTelos acquisition.

2017 Compared with 2016

Wireless results from operations are summarized as follows:
  Year Ended December 31, Change
($ in thousands) 2017% of Revenue 2016% of Revenue $ %
Wireless operating revenue          
Wireless service revenue $431,184
94.7 $359,769
92.5 71,415
 19.9
Tower lease revenue 11,604
2.5 11,279
2.9 325
 2.9
Equipment revenue 9,467
2.1 10,674
2.7 (1,207) (11.3)
Other revenue 2,823
0.7 7,031
1.9 (4,208) (59.8)
Total wireless operating revenue 455,078
100.0 388,753
100.0 66,325
 17.1
Wireless operating expenses          
Cost of goods and services 152,279
33.5 133,113
34.2 19,166
 14.4
Selling, general and administrative 118,257
26.0 95,851
24.7 22,406
 23.4
Acquisition, integration and migration expenses 10,793
2.4 25,927
6.7 (15,134) (58.4)
Depreciation and amortization 139,610
30.7 107,621
27.7 31,989
 29.7
Total wireless operating expenses 420,939
92.5 362,512
93.2 58,427
 16.1
Wireless operating income (loss) $34,139
7.5 $26,241
6.8 7,898
 30.1

Operating revenue
Wireless service revenue increased approximately $71.4 million, or 19.9%, in 2017 compared with 2016, primarily due subscriber growth related to the expansion of our wireless network coverage area that was driven by our 2016 acquisition of nTelos and was offset by a decline in revenue per subscriber as a higher percentage of Sprint's postpaid customer base moved from higher revenue subsidized phone price plans to lower phone price plans associated with leased and installment sales.  Postpaid net billings increased approximately $57.7 million, or 18.3%, as Postpaid Retail PCS Subscribers increased 1.9% primarily due to new subscribers from nTelos. Prepaid net billings increased $23.1 million, or 28.9%, due to 9.3% growth in Prepaid Retail PCS Subscribers and higher average revenue per subscriber due to improvements in product mix. Travel and other revenues increased $4.0 million due to a full year of travel revenue in the former nTelos service area compared to eight months in 2016.

Equipment revenue decreased approximately $1.2 million or 11.3%, driven by a decline in handset sales as more subscribers are leasing their handsets directly from Sprint, and as of August 2017, the Company is no longer being compensated for accessory sales through Sprint's national retailer channel.

Other revenue decreased $4.2 million, or 59.8%, in 2017 compared with the same period in 2016 primarily due to the migration of the nTelos subscribers to the Sprint billing platform and corresponding reduction in regulatory recovery revenues that we billed the subscribers from the former nTelos platform prior to their migration.

The table below provides additional detail for Wireless service revenue.


  Year Ended December 31, Change
($ in thousands) 2017 2016 $ %
Wireless service revenue:        
Postpaid billings (1) $372,237
 $314,579
 57,658
 18.3
Management fee (29,857) (25,543) 4,314
 16.9
Net service fee (30,751) (22,953) 7,798
 34.0
Total postpaid service revenue 311,629
 266,083
 45,546
 17.1
Prepaid billings (2) 103,161
 80,056
 23,105
 28.9
Sprint management fee (6,189) (4,960) 1,229
 24.8
Total prepaid service revenue 96,972
 75,096
 21,876
 29.1
Travel and other revenue (2) 22,583
 18,590
 3,993
 21.5
Total service revenue $431,184
 $359,769
 71,415
 19.9

 ________________________________

1) Postpaid net billings are defined under the terms of the affiliate contract with Sprint to be the gross billings to customers within our wireless network coverage area less billing credits and adjustments and allocated write-offs of uncollectible accounts.
2) The Company is no longer including Lifeline subscribers to be consistent with Sprint. The above table reflects the reclassification of the related Assurance Wireless prepaid revenue from prepaid gross billings to travel and other revenues for both years shown.

Cost of goods and services
Cost of goods and services increased approximately $19.2 million, or 14.4%, in 2017 compared with 2016 due to the expansion of our network as a result of our 2016 acquisition of nTelos. Network costs increased $22.7 million, while maintenance costs increased $2.8 million and are both primarily attributable to a full year of nTelos and the expansion of our network and wireless network coverage area. Handset costs decreased approximately $7.0 million due to the completion of the migration of nTelos subscribers to the Sprint platform.

Selling, general and administrative
Selling, general and administrative costs increased approximately $22.4 million, or 23.4%, in 2017 compared with 2016 primarily due to the expansion of our network as a result of our 2016 acquisition of nTelos.  Expenses associated with prepaid wireless programs increased approximately $14.1 million in 2017 compared with 2016 as a result of the nTelos acquisition. Advertising and sales expenses increased $13.2 million as a result of our marketing campaigns aimed at POPS in our expanded wireless network coverage area. Integration costs classified as selling, general and administrative, associated with our acquisition of nTelos decreased approximately $3.8 million as a result of the 2017 completion of our migration and integration efforts. Customer service costs also decreased by approximately $1.1 million compared to 2016.

Acquisition, integration and migration expenses
Acquisition, integration and migration expenses decreased approximately $15.1 million as we completed the migration of subscribers from the nTelos billing platform to the Sprint network and billing platform.

Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation and amortization increased $32.0 million, or 29.7%, in 2017 over 2016, reflecting the amortization of tangible and intangible assets acquired in the nTelos acquisition.

Cable

Cable providesbroadband internet, video broadband and voice services in franchise areasto residential and commercial customers in portions of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and western Maryland,Kentucky, via hybrid fiber coaxial cable under the brand name of Shentel, fiber optics under the brand name of Glo Fiber and fixed wireless internet service under the brand name of Beam. The Broadband segment also leases dark fiber and provides Ethernet and Wavelength fiber optic facilitiesservices to enterprise and wholesale customers throughout itsthe entirety of our service area. It does not include video, broadbandThe Broadband segment also provides voice and voiceDSL telephone services provided to customers in Virginia’s Shenandoah County Virginia, whichand portions of adjacent counties as a Rural Local Exchange Carrier (“RLEC”). These integrated networks are included in Wireline. connected by over 7,400 fiber route mile network.

The following table indicates selected operating statistics of Cable:Broadband:

  December 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 December 31, 2016
Homes passed (1) 185,133
 184,910
 184,710
Customer relationships (2)      
Video users 41,269
 44,269
 48,512
Non-video customers 38,845
 33,559
 28,854
Total customer relationships 80,114
 77,828
 77,366
Video      
Customers (3) 43,600
 46,613
 50,618
Penetration (4) 23.6% 25.2% 27.4%
Digital video penetration (5) 78.8% 76.2% 77.4%
Broadband      
Available homes (6) 185,133
 184,910
 183,826
Users (3) 68,179
 63,918
 60,495
Penetration (4) 36.8% 34.6% 32.9%
Voice      
Available homes (6) 185,133
 182,379
 181,089
Users (3) 23,366
 22,555
 21,352
Penetration (4) 12.6% 12.4% 11.8%
Total revenue generating units (7) 135,145
 133,086
 132,465
Fiber route miles 3,514
 3,356
 3,137
Total fiber miles (8) 138,648
 122,011
 92,615
Average revenue generating units 133,109
 132,759
 131,218
 December 31,
2021
December 31,
2020
December 31,
2019
Broadband homes passed (1)313,976 246,790 208,298 
Incumbent Cable211,120 208,691 206,575 
Glo Fiber75,189 28,652 1,723 
Beam27,667 9,447 — 
Broadband customer relationships (2)123,560 109,458 100,890 
Residential & SMB RGUs:
Broadband Data119,197 102,812 84,045 
Incumbent Cable106,345 98,555 83,919 
Glo Fiber11,377 4,158 126 
Beam1,475 99 — 
Video49,945 52,817 53,673 
Voice34,513 32,646 31,380 
Total Residential & SMB RGUs (excludes RLEC)203,655 188,275 169,098 
Residential & SMB Penetration (3)
Broadband Data38.0 %41.7 %40.3 %
Incumbent Cable50.4 %47.2 %40.6 %
Glo Fiber15.1 %14.5 %7.3 %
Beam5.3 %1.0 %— %
Video15.9 %21.4 %25.8 %
Voice12.8 %14.8 %16.2 %
Residential & SMB ARPU (4)
Broadband Data$78.62 $77.93 $78.72 
Incumbent Cable$79.00 $77.97 $78.72 
Glo Fiber$74.02 $78.90 $— 
Beam$72.65 $73.17 $— 
Video$100.35 $93.17 $87.95 
Voice$28.60 $29.44 $30.68 
Fiber route miles7,392 6,794 6,139 
Total fiber miles (5)518,467 394,316 320,444 

(1)
Homes and businesses are considered passed (“homes passed”) if we can connect them to our distribution system without further extending the transmission lines.  Homes passed is an estimate based upon the best available information.
(2)
Customer relationships represent the number of billed customers who receive at least one of our services.
(3)
Generally, a dwelling or commercial unit with one or more television sets connected to our distribution system counts as one video customer.  Where services are provided on a bulk basis, such as to hotels and some multi-dwelling units, the revenue charged to the customer is divided by the rate for comparable service in the local market to determine the number of customer equivalents included in the customer counts shown above. 
(4)
Penetration is calculated by dividing the number of users by the number of homes passed or available homes, as appropriate.
(5)
Digital video penetration is calculated by dividing the number of digital video users by total video users.  Digital video users are video customers who receive any level of video service via digital transmission.  A dwelling with one or more digital set-top boxes or digital adapters counts as one digital video user.
(6)
Homes and businesses are considered available (“available homes”) if we can connect them to our distribution system without further extending the transmission lines and if we offer the service in that area.
(7)
Revenue generating units are the sum of video, voice and high-speed internet users.
(8)
(1)Homes and businesses are considered passed (“homes passed”) if we can connect them to our network without further extending the distribution system. Homes passed is an estimate based upon the best available information. Homes passed will vary among video, broadband data and voice services.
(2)Customer relationships represent the number of billed customers who receive at least one of our services.
(3)Penetration is calculated by dividing the number of users by the number of homes passed or available homes, as appropriate.
(4)Average Revenue Per Data RGU calculation = (Residential & SMB Revenue * 1,000) / average data RGUs / 12 months
(5)Total fiber miles are measured by taking the number of fiber strands in a cable and multiplying that number by the route distance.  For example, a 10 mile route with 144 fiber strands would equal 1,440 fiber miles.

2018 Compared with 2017

Cable results from operations are summarized as follows:
  Year Ended December 31, Change
($ in thousands) 2018% of Revenue 2017% of Revenue $ %
Cable operating revenue          
Service revenue $114,917
89.1 $107,338
90.1 7,579
 7.1
Equipment revenue 695
0.5 724
0.6 (29) (4.0)
Other revenue 13,291
10.4 11,100
9.3 2,191
 19.7
Total cable operating revenue 128,903
100.0 119,162
100.0 9,741
 8.2
Cable operating expenses          
Cost of services 59,935
46.5 59,335
49.8 600
 1.0
Cost of goods sold 295
0.2 14
 281
 2,007.1
Selling, general, and administrative 20,274
15.7 19,999
16.8 275
 1.4
Depreciation and amortization 24,644
19.1 23,968
20.1 676
 2.8
Total cable operating expenses 105,148
81.6 103,316
86.7 1,832
 1.8
Cable operating income (loss) $23,755
18.4 $15,846
13.3 7,909
 49.9

Service revenue
Service revenue increased approximately $7.6 million, or 7.1%, in 2018 compared with 2017, primarily due to growth in our broadband and voice subscribers, video rate increases, and our customers selecting or upgrading to higher-speed data access packages.

Other revenue
Other revenue increased approximately $2.2 million, or 19.7%, in 2018 compared with 2017, primarily due to new fiber contracts and installation services that were driven by growth in our customer base.

Operating expenses
Operating expenses increased approximately $1.8 million, or 1.8%, in 2018 compared with 2017 due primarily to our investment in infrastructure necessary to support the growth of the cable and fiber networks.

The impact of the adoption of Topic 606, which deferred incremental commission and installation costs over the life of the customer, did not have a significant impact on operating expenses.

2017 Compared with 2016

Cable results from operations are summarized as follows:
  Year Ended December 31, Change
($ in thousands) 2017% of Revenue 2016% of Revenue $ %
Cable operating revenue          
Service revenue $107,338
90.1 $99,070
91.1 8,268
 8.3
Other revenue 11,824
9.9 9,664
8.9 2,160
 22.4
Total cable operating revenue 119,162
100.0 108,734
100.0 10,428
 9.6
Cable operating expenses          
Cost of goods and services 59,349
49.8 58,581
53.9 768
 1.3
Selling, general, and administrative 19,999
16.8 19,248
17.7 751
 3.9
Depreciation and amortization 23,968
20.1 23,908
22.0 60
 0.3
Total cable operating expenses 103,316
86.7 101,737
93.6 1,579
 1.6
Cable operating income (loss) $15,846
13.3 $6,997
6.4 8,849
 126.5

Operating revenue
Cable service revenue increased $8.3 million, or 8.3% in 2017 compared with 2016. Internet service revenue increased approximately $6.3 million, or 13.8%, due to a 5.7% increase in internet subscribers, along with an improved product mix as new and existing customers increasingly move to higher-speed plans with higher monthly recurring charges. Video revenue, including retransmission consent fee surcharges, decreased approximately $0.3 million primarily related to a reduction in our video customers that was driven by video rate increases in 2017 required to offset higher programming costs. Voice revenue increased approximately $0.4 million due to 5.6% growth in voice revenue customers. A reduction of promotional discounts offered during 2017 also resulted in an increase in Cable operating revenues of approximately $2.0 million.

Other revenue grew approximately $2.2 million, primarily due to the addition of new fiber contracts in 2017.

Operating expenses
Cable cost of goods and services increased $0.8 million, or 1.3%, in 2017 compared with 2016 primarily as a result of growth in our network costs as a result of increases in line costs and pole rents.

Wireline

The following table includes selected operating statistics of the Wireline operations as of the dates shown:
 December 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 December 31, 2016
Long distance subscribers9,452
 9,078
 9,149
Video customers (1)4,742
 5,019
 5,264
Broadband customers14,464
 14,353
 14,314
Fiber route miles2,127
 2,073
 1,971
Total fiber miles (2)161,552
 154,165
 142,230
 ________________________________

1) Wireline's video service passes approximately 16,500 homes.
2) Fiber Miles are measured by taking the number of fiber strands in a cable and multiplying that number by the route distance. For example, a 10 mile route with 144 fiber strands would equal 1,440 fiber miles.

32

Table of Contents
2018 Compared with 2017

WirelineBroadband results from operations are summarized as follows:
Year Ended December 31,Change
($ in thousands)2021% of Revenue2020% of Revenue$%
Broadband operating revenue
Residential & SMB$177,530 77.8 $155,017 75.9 22,513 14.5 
Commercial Fiber34,931 15.3 32,759 16.0 2,172 6.6 
RLEC & Other15,619 6.8 16,571 8.1 (952)(5.7)
Total broadband revenue228,080 100.0 204,347 100.0 %23,733 11.6 
Broadband operating expenses
Cost of services97,283 42.7 84,893 41.5 12,390 14.6 
Selling, general, and administrative47,840 21.0 39,472 19.3 8,368 21.2 
Restructuring expense202 0.1 — — 202 — 
Impairment expense5,986 2.6 — — 5,986 — 
Depreciation and amortization47,937 21.0 41,076 20.1 6,861 16.7 
Total broadband operating expenses199,248 87.4 165,441 81.0 33,807 20.4 
Broadband operating income$28,832 12.6 $38,906 19.0 (10,074)(25.9)
  Year Ended December 31, Change
($ in thousands) 2018% of Revenue 2017% of Revenue $ %
Wireline operating revenue          
Service revenue $23,274
30.2 $22,645
28.6 629
 2.8
Carrier access and fiber revenue 50,438
65.4 53,078
67.0 (2,640) (5.0)
Equipment revenue 193
0.3 127
0.2 66
 52.0
Other revenue 3,237
4.1 3,403
4.2 (166) (4.9)
Total wireline operating revenue 77,142
100.0 79,253
100.0 (2,111) (2.7)
Wireline operating expenses          
Cost of services 38,056
49.3 38,417
48.5 (361) (0.9)
Costs of goods sold 81
0.1 119
0.2 (38) (31.9)
Selling, general, and administrative 7,467
9.7 6,923
8.7 544
 7.9
Depreciation and amortization 13,673
17.7 12,829
16.2 844
 6.6
Total wireline operating expenses 59,277
76.8 58,288
73.5 989
 1.7
Wireline operating income (loss) $17,865
23.2 $20,965
26.5 (3,100) (14.8)


OperatingResidential & SMB revenue

Residential & SMB revenue increased approximately $22.5 million, or 14.5%, during 2021 primarily driven by launching services in new markets resulting in 15.9% growth in broadband RGUs.
Wireline operating
Commercial Fiber revenue
Commercial Fiber revenue increased approximately $2.2 million, or 6.6%, during 2021 due primarily to $1.0 million of growth in circuit connections, $0.7 million non-recurring amortized revenue reduction in 2020 and $0.5 million in non-recurring dark fiber sales-type leases in 2021.

RLEC & Other revenue
RLEC & Other revenue decreased approximately $2.1 million, or 2.7%, in 2018 compared with 2017. The decline in operating revenue was primarily attributable to repricing Wireless backhaul circuits to market rates and migrating Wireless voice traffic from traditional circuit-switched facilities to more cost effective VoIP facilities.

Operating expenses
Total Wireline operating expenses increased approximately $1.0 million, or 1.7%5.7%, in 2018, compared with 2017. The2020 due primarily to a decline in residential DSL subscribers, lower switched access revenue, and lower intercompany phone service. We expect RLEC revenue to continue to decline in future periods as subscribers migrate to faster speed data services provided by our dual-incumbent cable franchise in Shenandoah County, Virginia.

Cost of services
Cost of services increased approximately $12.4 million, or 14.6%, compared with 2020, primarily driven by $5.8 million increase in total Wireline operating expenses wasmaintenance due primarily attributable to higher cable replacements costs, obsolete network asset charges and expensing of software development costs related to our current ERP system, $3.6 million in higher compensation costs to support the expansion of Glo Fiber and Beam, and $1.7 million in higher programming fees.

Selling, general and administrative
Selling, general and administrative expense increased $8.4 million or 21.2% compared with 2020 primarily due to $3.8 million in higher compensation and advertising costs to support the underlying networkexpansion of Glo Fiber and Beam, a $2.4 million increase in software development and service fees as we upgrade our operating support, customer relationship and enterprise resource systems and a $1.7 million increase in property taxes, facility expense and other costs.

Restructuring expense
Restructuring expense was primarily due to severance related expenses from the sale of Wireless assets and investmentsoperations.

Impairment
During the fourth quarter, we ceased further expansion of our fixed wireless edge-out strategy. As a result, in the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company incurred approximately $6.0 million of expenses for impairment of expansionary Beam construction assets.

33

Table of Contents
Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation and amortization increased $6.9 million or 16.7%, compared with 2020, primarily as a result of our network expansion and the deployment of infrastructure necessary to support our new fiber-to-the-home service, Glo Fiber.
Tower

Our Tower segment owns cell towers and leases colocation space on the growth intowers to wireless communications providers. Substantially all of our fiber network.owned towers are built on ground that we lease from the respective landlords.

The following table indicates selected operating statistics of the Tower segment:
2017 Compared with 2016
December 31,
2021
December 31,
2020
December 31,
2019
Macro tower sites223 223 225 
Tenants (1)485 427 404 
Average tenants per tower2.1 1.8 1.8 

(1)Includes 47, 221 and 201 intercompany tenants for our Wireless operations, (reported as a discontinued operation), and Broadband operations, as of December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.


WirelineTower results from operations are summarized as follows:
Year Ended December 31,Change
($ in thousands)2021% of Revenue2020% of Revenue$%
Tower revenue$17,704 100.0 $17,055 100.0 %649 3.8 
Tower operating expenses8,688 49.1 8,232 48.3 456 5.5 
Tower operating income$9,016 50.9 $8,823 51.7 193 2.2 
  Year Ended December 31, Change
($ in thousands) 2017% of Revenue 2016% of Revenue $ %
Wireline operating revenue          
Service revenue $22,645
28.6 $21,917
29.2 728
 3.3
Carrier access and fiber revenue 53,078
67.0 49,532
66.1 3,546
 7.2
Other revenue 3,530
4.4 3,525
4.7 5
 0.1
Total wireline operating revenue 79,253
100.0 74,974
100.0 4,279
 5.7
Wireline operating expenses          
Costs of goods and services 38,536
48.6 36,259
48.4 2,277
 6.3
Selling, general, and administrative 6,923
8.7 6,474
8.6 449
 6.9
Depreciation and amortization 12,829
16.2 11,717
15.6 1,112
 9.5
Total wireline operating expenses 58,288
73.5 54,450
72.6 3,838
 7.0
Wireline operating income (loss) $20,965
26.5 $20,524
27.4 441
 2.1


Revenue
Operating revenue
Total Wireline operating revenue in 2017Revenue increased approximately $4.3$0.6 million, or 5.7%3.8%, in 2021 compared with 2016. New carrier access2020. This increase was due to a 13.6% increase in tenants and fiberwas partially offset by a 3.2% decline in average revenue contracts became effective during 2017 for third party and affiliate fiber contracts resulting in growth of $3.5 million or 7.2% in 2017. Internet service revenue grew approximately $0.8 million as customers upgraded to higher-speed plans, while voice revenues declined approximately $0.4 million as customers discontinue landline telephone services.per tenant.


Operating expenses
Total Wireline operatingOperating expenses increased approximately $3.8$0.5 million compared to the prior year period, due primarily to increases in ground lease rent expense, and expansion of our tower network team resulting in higher payroll costs, partially offset by a decrease in professional services.

34

Table of Contents
Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019

The Company’s consolidated results from operations are summarized as follows:
Year Ended December 31,Change
($ in thousands)2020% of Revenue2019% of Revenue$%
Revenue$220,775 100.0 $206,862 100.0 13,913 6.7 
Operating expenses223,376 101.2 208,204 100.6 15,172 7.3 
Operating loss(2,601)(1.2)(1,342)(0.6)(1,259)93.8 
Other income, net3,187 1.4 3,280 1.6 (93)(2.8)
Income before taxes586 0.3 1,938 0.9 (1,352)(69.8)
Income tax expense (benefit)(990)(0.4)— (996)(16,600.0)
Income from continuing operations$1,576 0.7 $1,932 0.9 (356)(18.4)
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax124,097 56.2 53,568 25.9 70,529 131.7 
Net income$125,673 56.9 $55,500 26.8 70,173 126.4 

Revenue
Revenue increased approximately $13.9 million, or 7.0%6.7%, in 2017,2020 compared with 20162019, driven by 31.3% growth in the Tower and 5.4% growth in Broadband segments. Refer to the discussion of the results of operations for the Tower and Broadband segments, included increaseswithin this annual report, for additional information.

Operating expenses
Operating expenses increased approximately $15.2 million, or 7.3%, in 2020 compared with 2019, driven by incremental Broadband operating expenses incurred to support the launch of our new fiber-to-the-home service, Glo Fiber, and fixed wireless broadband service, Beam.

Income tax (benefit) expense
Income tax benefit of approximately $1.0 million declined approximately $1.0 million compared with 2019, primarily due to changes in excess tax benefits from stock based compensation and other discrete items.

Income from discontinued operations, net of tax
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax, increased $70.5 million, or 131.7%. The increase was primarily driven by a $48.5 million decline in depreciation and amortization primarily as a result of ceasing depreciation and amortization of assets held for sale during the third quarter of 2020, $25.3 million increase in wireless service revenue driven by our travel revenue settlement with Sprint, a $12.1 million decline in cost of services due to ceasing amortization on our right of use assets under operating leases during the third quarter of 2020, an $8.8 million decline in interest expense driven by lower interest rates on our term loans, partially offset by $27.5 million of higher income tax.






35

Table of Contents
Broadband

Broadband results from operations are summarized as follows:
Year Ended December 31,Change
($ in thousands)2020% of Revenue2019% of Revenue$%
Broadband operating revenue
Residential & SMB$155,017 75.9 $142,290 73.4 12,727 8.9 
Commercial Fiber32,759 16.0 30,410 15.7 2,349 7.7 
RLEC & Other16,571 8.1 21,243 11.0 (4,672)(22.0)
Total broadband revenue204,347 100.0 193,943 100.0 %10,404 5.4 
Broadband operating expenses
Cost of services84,893 41.5 79,858 41.2 5,035 6.3 
Selling, general, and administrative39,472 19.3 33,545 17.3 5,927 17.7 
Depreciation and amortization41,076 20.1 38,566 19.9 2,510 6.5 
Total broadband operating expenses165,441 81.0 151,969 78.4 13,472 8.9 
Broadband operating income$38,906 19.0 $41,974 21.6 (3,068)(7.3)

Residential & SMB revenue
Residential & SMB revenue increased approximately $12.7 million, or 8.9%, during 2020 primarily driven by 22.3% growth in broadband RGUs and penetration improvement.

Commercial Fiber revenue
Commercial Fiber revenue increased approximately $2.3 million, cost of goods and services relatedor 7.7%, during 2020 due primarily to higher network costs required to support our expanding affiliate fiber routes, $0.4 millionan increase in selling,new enterprise and backhaul recurring revenue of $3.9 million partially offset by a decline in amortized upfront fee revenue of $1.6 million.

RLEC & Other revenue
RLEC & Other revenue decreased approximately $4.7 million, or 22.0%, compared with 2019 due primarily to a decline in residential DSL subscribers, lower governmental support, and lower intercompany phone service. We expect RLEC revenue to decline at a slower rate in future periods as subscribers migrate to broadband data services.

Cost of services
Cost of services increased approximately $5.0 million, or 6.3%, compared with 2019, primarily driven by higher compensation expense due to the combination of Glo Fiber and Beam start-up expenses, higher incentive accrual from strong operating results driven by growth in our customer base, and COVID supplemental pay for customer interfacing employees.

Selling, general and administrative
Selling, general and administrative expense increased $5.9 million or 17.7% compared with 2019 primarily due to increases in compensation expense of $3.4 million, primarily as a result of Glo Fiber and Beam fixed wireless start-up costs, higher benefit plan and incentive accruals from strong operating results and $2.8 million of higher software and professional fees.

Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation and amortization increased $2.5 million or 6.5%, compared with 2019, primarily as a result of our network expansion and the deployment of infrastructure necessary to support new fiber-to-the-home service, Glo Fiber, and fixed wireless solution, Beam.


36

Table of Contents
Tower
Tower results from operations are summarized as follows:
Year Ended December 31,Change
($ in thousands)2020% of Revenue2019% of Revenue$%
Tower revenue$17,055 100.0 $12,985 100.0 4,070 31.3 
Tower operating expenses8,232 48.3 6,690 51.5 1,542 23.0 
Tower operating income$8,823 51.7 $6,295 48.5 2,528 40.2 

Revenue
Revenue increased approximately $4.1 million, or 31.3%, in 2020 compared with 2019. This increase was due to a 5.7% increase in tenants and a 23.4% increase in average revenue per tenant driven by amendments to intercompany leases.

Revenue derived from our investment in customer service personnelwireless operations was approximately $14.0 million and infrastructure required to support our growth, and $1.1$10.0 million in additional depreciation related to our network assets.2020 and 2019, respectively.


Non-GAAP Financial MeasuresOperating expenses
In managing our business and assessing our financial performance, management supplements the information provided by the financial statement measures prepared in accordance with GAAP with Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA, which are considered “non-GAAP financial measures” under SEC rules.

Adjusted OIBDA is defined as operating income (loss) before depreciation and amortization, adjusted to exclude the effects of:  certain non-recurring transactions; impairment of assets; gains and losses on asset sales; actuarial gains and losses on pension and other post-retirement benefit plans; and share-based compensation expense, amortization of deferred costs relatedOperating expenses increased approximately $1.5 million compared to the impactsprior year period, due primarily to increases in ground lease rent expense and professional services.






37

Table of the adoption of Topic 606, and adjusted to include the benefit received from the waived management fee by Sprint. Continuing OIBDA is defined as Adjusted OIBDA, less the benefit received from the waived management fee by Sprint. Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA should not be construed as an alternative to operating income as determined in accordance with GAAP as a measure of operating performance.Contents

In a capital-intensive industry such as telecommunications, management believes that Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA and the associated percentage margin calculations are meaningful measures of our operating performance.  We use Adjusted

OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA as supplemental performance measures because management believes these measures facilitate comparisons of our operating performance from period to period and comparisons of our operating performance to that of our peers and other companies by excluding potential differences caused by the age and book depreciation of fixed assets (affecting relative depreciation expenses) as well as the other items described above for which additional adjustments were made.  In the future, management expects that the Company may again report Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA excluding these items and may incur expenses similar to these excluded items.  Accordingly, the exclusion of these and other similar items from our non-GAAP presentation should not be interpreted as implying these items are non-recurring, infrequent or unusual.

While depreciation and amortization are considered operating costs under generally accepted accounting principles, these expenses primarily represent the current period allocation of costs associated with long-lived assets acquired or constructed in prior periods, and accordingly may obscure underlying operating trends for some purposes.  By isolating the effects of these expenses and other items that vary from period to period without any correlation to our underlying performance, or that vary widely among similar companies, management believes Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA facilitates internal comparisons of our historical operating performance, which are used by management for business planning purposes, and also facilitates comparisons of our performance relative to that of our competitors.  In addition, we believe that Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA and similar measures are widely used by investors and financial analysts as measures of our financial performance over time, and to compare our financial performance with that of other companies in our industry.

Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA have limitations as an analytical tool, and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP.  These limitations include, but are not limited to, the following:

they do not reflect capital expenditures;
they do not reflect the impacts of adoption of Topic 606;
many of the assets being depreciated and amortized will have to be replaced in the future and Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA do not reflect cash requirements for such replacements;
they do not reflect costs associated with share-based awards exchanged for employee services;
they do not reflect interest expense necessary to service interest or principal payments on indebtedness;
they do not reflect gains, losses or dividends on investments;
they do not reflect expenses incurred for the payment of income taxes; and
other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA differently than we do, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure.

In light of these limitations, management considers Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA as a financial performance measure that supplements but does not replace the information reflected in our GAAP results.

The adoption of the new revenue standard did not impact Adjusted OIBDA.

The following tables reconcile Adjusted OIBDA and Continuing OIBDA to operating income, which we consider to be the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure:
Year Ended December 31, 2018(in thousands) Wireless Cable Wireline Other Consolidated
Operating income $92,847
 $23,755
 $17,865
 $(41,221) $93,246
Impact of ASC topic 606 (15,048) (74) (197) 
 (15,319)
Depreciation and amortization 127,521
 24,644
 13,673
 567
 166,405
Share-based compensation expense 
 
 
 4,959
 4,959
Benefit received from the waived management fee (1) 37,763
 
 
 
 37,763
Amortization of intangibles netted in rent expense 342
 
 
 
 342
Actuarial (gains) losses on pension plans 
 
 
 (1,688) (1,688)
Adjusted OIBDA 243,425
 48,325
 31,341
 (37,383) 285,708
Waived management fee (37,763) 
 
 
 (37,763)
Continuing OIBDA $205,662
 $48,325
 $31,341
 $(37,383) $247,945


Year Ended December 31, 2017(in thousands) Wireless Cable Wireline Other Consolidated
Operating income $34,139
 $15,846
 $20,965
 $(24,440) $46,510
Depreciation and amortization 139,610
 23,968
 12,829
 600
 177,007
(Gain) loss on asset sales 214
 (243) 79
 68
 118
Share-based compensation expense 1,579
 916
 384
 701
 3,580
Benefit received from the waived management fee (1) 36,056
 
 
 
 36,056
Amortization of intangibles netted in rent expense 1,528
 
 
 
 1,528
Temporary back-office costs to support the billing operations through migration (2) 6,459
 
 
 1
 6,460
Actuarial gains on pension plans 
 
 
 (1,387) (1,387)
Integration and acquisition related expenses, and other 10,793
 
 
 237
 11,030
Adjusted OIBDA 230,378
 40,487
 34,257
 (24,220) 280,902
Waived management fee (36,056) 
 
 
 (36,056)
Continuing OIBDA $194,322
 $40,487
 $34,257
 $(24,220) $244,846

Year Ended December 31, 2016(in thousands) Wireless Cable Wireline Other Consolidated
Operating income $26,241
 $6,997
 $20,524
 $(31,236) $22,526
Depreciation and amortization 107,621
 23,908
 11,717
 439
 143,685
(Gain) loss on asset sales (131) 156
 (27) (47) (49)
Share-based compensation expense 1,309
 756
 347
 609
 3,021
Benefit received from the waived management fee (1) 24,596
 
 
 
 24,596
Amortization of intangibles netted in rent expense 728
 
 
 
 728
Temporary back-office costs to support the billing operations through migration (2) 13,843
 
 
 
 13,843
Actuarial gains on pension plans 
 
 
 (4,460) (4,460)
Integration and acquisition related expenses, and other 25,927
 
 
 16,305
 42,232
Adjusted OIBDA 200,134
 31,817
 32,561
 (18,390) 246,122
Waived management fee (24,596) 
 
 
 (24,596)
Continuing OIBDA $175,538
 $31,817
 $32,561
 $(18,390) $221,526


1)
Under our amended affiliate agreement, Sprint agreed to waive the Management Fees charged on both postpaid and prepaid revenues, up to $4.2 million per month, until the total amount waived reaches approximately $255.6 million, which is expected to occur in 2022.
2)
Represents back-office expenses required to support former nTelos subscribers that migrated to Sprint back-office systems.


Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources


Sources and Uses of Cash: PrimaryOur principal sources of cash include existing balances ofliquidity are our cash and cash equivalents, cash flowsgenerated from operations, and borrowings fromproceeds available under our credit facility.  Cash generated from such sources has been sufficient to fund our growth and strategic initiatives, fund our capital projects, service our debt and issue our annual dividend. Credit Agreement.

As of December 31, 2018,2021 our cash and cash equivalents totaled $84.3 million and the availability under our delayed draw term loans and revolving line of credit was $400.0 million, for total available liquidity of $484.3 million.

Operating activities from continuing operations generated approximately $85.1$63.5 million in 2021, representing an increase of $10.1 million compared with approximately $78.62020, driven by higher income from continuing operations offset by changes in working capital.

Operating activities from discontinued operations resulted in a cash outflow of $314.4 million as compared to cash inflows of December 31, 2017. All$249.5 million in 2020 due primarily to approximately $434 million of income tax payments paid on the gain from the 2021 disposition of our Wireless assets and operations and due to the fact that the Wireless business was generating cash held byflow for the Company is domiciledfor a full year in 2020, compared to only six months in 2021.

Net cash used in investing activities for continuing operations increased $21.6 million in 2021, compared with 2020, primarily due to $39.7 million increase in capital expenditures for our Broadband segment to enable our Glo Fiber and Beam market expansions, and partially offset by a $16.1 million decline in payments made for spectrum licenses.

Proceeds received from the July 1, 2021, disposition of our Wireless assets and operations ("the transaction") or, net cash provided by investing activities for discontinued operations, were approximately $1.9 billion. The Company used the after-tax proceeds from the sale of our Wireless assets and operations to:

Repay and terminate approximately $684 million of outstanding term loans under our "Prior Credit Agreement", and associated interest rate swap liabilities, concurrent with the closing of the disposition;
Issue a special dividend of $18.75 per share to Company shareholders, or approximately $937 million in the United States.aggregate (the "Special Dividend").

Pay approximately $434 million in income taxes on the transaction in December 2021.

The Company generated $265.6 million of net cash from operations in 2018, a 19.2% increase over the prior year. In 2017, the Company generated $222.9 million of net cash from operations, representingtransaction was accounted for as an approximate 38% improvementasset sale for income tax purposes. Cash proceeds from the $161.5 million providedsale were required to be used to immediately repay our outstanding indebtedness; all principal payments on our debt were therefore presented as cash used to finance our discontinued operations.

Net cash used in 2016.  The increases werefinancing activities from continuing operations increased approximately $0.9 billion primarily due to the continued expansion of our wireless network coverage area consistent with the growthpayment of the wireless subscriber base and corresponding revenue.Special Dividend following the Wireless sale.


During 2018, the Company utilized $187.8 millionNet cash used in net investing activities. Plant and equipment purchases in 2018, 2017 and 2016 totaled $136.6 million, $146.5 million and $173.2 million, respectively. Over the past three years, capital expenditures were primarily focused on supporting and upgrading the expansion of our wireless and fiber networks. Additionally, capital expenditures supported cell site upgrades, cable network expansion and upgrades, Wireline fiber builds and retail store remodels.

Financing activities utilized approximately $71.3 million in 2018 as the Company repaid debt totaling $51.3 million, paid dividends of $12.9 million, and provided cash payments for taxes related to equity awards of $3.2 million in 2018. In 2017, financing activities utilized approximately $29.0for discontinued operations increased $0.7 billion to due repayment of debt under our Prior Credit Agreement in 2021.

Indebtedness: On July 1, 2021, we entered into a Credit Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with various financial institutions party thereto. The Credit Agreement provides for the following three credit facilities (collectively, the “Facilities”), in an aggregate amount equal to $400 million: (i) a $100 million asfive-year revolving credit facility (the “Revolver”), (ii) a $150 million five-year delayed draw amortizing term loan (the “Term Loan A-1”) and (iii) a $150 million seven-year delayed draw amortizing term loan (the “Term Loan A-2” and, together with the Company repaid debt totaling $36.4 million, borrowed $25.0 million to fund strategic expansion initiatives, paid cash dividends of $12.3 million, and provided cash payments for taxes related to equity awards of $5.4 million. Financing activities provided $617.9 million in 2016 as the Company borrowed $860.0 million to fund the nTelos acquisition and related activities, repaid debt totaling $213.8 million (including $12.1 million of principal on the new debt financing agreement), and paid $14.9 million to enter into the new debt financing arrangement to acquire nTelos. The Company also paid cash dividends totaling $11.7 million.

Indebtedness:  As of December 31, 2018, the Company’s gross indebtedness totaled $785.2 million, with an estimated annualized effective interest rate of 3.97% after considering the impact of the interest rate swap contracts and unamortized loan costs.  The balance consisted of Term Loan A-1, atthe “Term Loans”). The Credit Agreement includes a variable rate (4.27% asprovision under which the Company may request that additional term loans be made to it in an amount not to exceed the sum of December 31, 2018) that resets monthly based(1) the greater of (a) $75 million and (b) 100% of Consolidated EBITDA (as defined in the Credit Agreement), calculated on a pro forma basis in accordance with the Credit Agreement, plus (2) an additional unlimited amount subject to a maximum Total Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement) of 4.00:1.00, calculated on a pro forma basis in accordance with the Credit Agreement, subject to the receipt of commitments from one month LIBOR plus a marginor more lenders for any such additional term loans and other customary conditions.

The availability of 1.75% currently, and Term Loan A-2 at a variable rate (4.52% asthe Facilities to the Company is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of December 31, 2018) that resets monthly based on one month LIBOR plus a margin of 2.00% currently.certain customary conditions set forth in the Credit Agreement. The Company amended its 2016 credit agreement effective November 9, 2018 and this credit facility modification reduced near term principal payments, extendedmay use the maturity of both Term Loan A-1 and A-2, allowed access toproceeds from the Revolver and the Term Loans to finance capital expenditures, provide working capital, and for an extended periodother general corporate purposes, including but not limited to, funding any underfunded amounts of time,the nTelos pension plan to enable its termination, of the Company and reducedits subsidiaries. If drawn on, the applicable base interest rate by 75 basis points. It also shifted $108.8 millionTerm Loans are required to be repaid in principal from Term Loan A-1 to Term Loan A-2. The amended Term Loan A-1 requires quarterly principal repayments of approximately $3.6 million, which beganinstallments commencing on December 31, 2018 through September 30, 2019, increasing to $7.3 million quarterly from December 31, 2019 through September 30, 2022; then increasing to $10.9 million quarterly from December 31, 2022 through September 30, 2023, with the remainingunpaid balance due November 8, 2023. The amended Term Loan A-2 requires quarterly principal repayments of approximately $1.2 million beginning on December 31, 2018 through September 30, 2025, with the remaining balance due November 8, 2025. At December 31, 2018, $75 million was available under the Revolver Facility. Under the amended 2016 credit agreement, the Company has access to the Revolver through 2023.

The Company is subject to certain financial covenants measured on a trailing twelve month basis each calendar quarter unless otherwise specified.  These covenants include:

a limitation on the Company’s total leverage ratio, defined as indebtedness divided by earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, of less than or equal to 3.50 to 1.00 from December 31, 2018 through December 31, 2019, then 3.25 to 1.00 through December 31, 2021, and 3.00 to 1.00 thereafter;
a minimum debt service coverage ratio, defined as EBITDA minus certain cash taxes divided by the sum of all scheduled principal payments on the Term Loans and other indebtedness plus cash interest expense, greater than or equal to 2.00 to 1.00;due at maturity, as set forth in the Credit Agreement.
the Company must maintain a minimum liquidity balance, defined as availability
38

We have not made any borrowings under the revolver facility plus unrestricted cash and cash equivalents on depositCredit Agreement as of this date. We expect to start drawing against the Credit Agreement in a deposit account for which a control agreement has been deliveredfirst quarter of 2022, with additional borrowings occurring as needed to fund the administrative agent underCompany's future capital expenditures. We expect to draw $300 million against the 2016 credit agreement, of greater than $25 million at all times.Credit Agreement by June 2023.

As of December 31, 2018, the Company was in compliance with the financial covenants in its credit agreements and ratios were as follows:

 Actual Covenant Requirement
Total leverage ratio2.54
 3.50 or Lower
Debt service coverage ratio3.63
 2.00 or Higher
Minimum liquidity balance (in millions)$159.0
 $25.0 or Higher

Contractual Commitments: The Company is obligated to make future payments under various contracts it has entered into, primarily amounts pursuant to its long-term debt facility, and non-cancelable operating lease agreements for retail space, tower space and cell sites.  Expected future minimum contractual cash payments, excluding the effects of time value, on contractual obligations, by period are summarized as follows:

Payments due by periods:
(in thousands)Total Less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-5 years More than 5 years
Long-term debt principal (1)$785,236
 $23,197
 $68,244
 $221,198
 $472,597
Interest on long-term debt (1)198,295
 34,474
 65,004
 58,215
 40,602
"Pay-fixed" obligations (2)12,695
 4,312
 6,300
 2,083
 
Operating leases (3)425,544
 55,050
 104,423
 97,573
 168,498
Purchase obligations (4)38,252
 24,463
 13,789
 
 
Total$1,460,022
 $141,496
 $257,760
 $379,069
 $681,697
 ________________________________

(1) Includes principal payments and estimated interest payments on the Term Loan Facility based upon outstanding balances and rates in effect at December 31, 2018.
(2) Represents the maximum interest payments we are obligated to make under our derivative agreements.  Assumes no receipts from the counterparty to our derivative agreements.
(3) Our existing operating lease agreements may provide us with the option to renew. Our future operating lease obligations would change if we entered into additional operating lease agreements and if we exercised renewal options.
(4) Represents open purchase orders at December 31, 2018.

Contractual commitments represent future cash payments and liabilities that are required under contractual agreements with third parties, and exclude purchase orders for goods and services. The contractual commitment amounts in the table above are associated with agreements that are legally binding and enforceable, and that specify all significant terms, including fixed or minimum services to be used, fixed, minimum or variable price provisions and the approximate timing of the transaction.

Other long-term liabilities have been omitted from the table above due to uncertainty of the timing of payments, refer to Note 12, Other Assets and Accrued Liabilities, included with the notes to our consolidated financial statements for additional information. The Company has no other off-balance sheet arrangements and has not entered into any transactions involving unconsolidated, limited purpose entities or commodity contracts.

Capital Commitments: The Company spent $136.6 million on capital projects in 2018, down from $146.5 million in 2017 and down from $173.2 million in 2016. Capital expenditures in 2018 were primarily for upgrades to the recently acquired expansion areas, continued expansion of coverage in the former nTelos territory, network and cable market expansion, and for fiber builds and increased Wireline capacity projects. Capital expenditures in 2017 were primarily related to upgrades of the former nTelos sites and additional cell sites to expand coverage in that territory, network and cable market expansion, fiber builds and information technology projects. Capital expenditures in 2016 primarily supported cell site upgrades and coverage and capacity expansions in the wireless segment following the nTelos acquisition, as well as cable network expansion and upgrades and wireline segment fiber builds.

Capital expenditures budgeted for 2019 are expected to be approximately $147.4 million, including $64.1 million in the Wireless segment primarily for wireless network capacity improvements.  In addition, $52.9 million is budgeted primarily for cable network expansion including new fiber routes and cable market expansion, $20.5 million in Wireline projects including expansion of the fiber network, and $9.9 million primarily for IT projects and other.


We believe thatexpect our cash on hand, cash flow from continuing operations, and borrowings expectedavailability of funds from our Credit Agreement, will be sufficient to be available under our existing credit facilities will provide sufficient cash to enable us to fund planned capital expenditures, make scheduled principal and interest payments, meet our other cash requirements and maintain compliance with the terms of our financing agreementsanticipated liquidity needs for at leastbusiness operations for the next twelve months. There can be no assurance that we will continue to generate cash flows at or above current levels or that we will be able to maintain our abilityraise additional financing to borrow under our credit facilities. Thereafter,support the Company's planned capital expenditures will likely be requiredaimed at growth and expansion.

We expect our capital expenditures to continueexceed the cash flow provided from continuing operations through 2025, as we shift our focus to expand our broadband network to support the launch of Glo Fiber to our newly targeted markets covering over 450,000 homes passed.


planned capital upgrades to the acquired wireless network and provide increased capacity to meet our expected growth in demand for our products and services. The actual amount and timing of our future capital requirements may differ materially from our estimateestimates depending on the demand for our products and services, new market developments and expansion opportunities.


Our cash flows from continuing operations could be adversely affected by events outside our control, including, without limitation, changes in overall economic conditions, regulatory requirements, changes in technologies, changes in competition, demand for our products and services, availability of labor resources and capital, changes in our relationship with Sprint,natural disasters, pandemics and outbreaks of contagious diseases and other conditions.  The Wireless segment’s operations are dependent upon Sprint’s ability to execute certain functionsadverse public health developments, such as billing, customer care,COVID-19, and collections; our ability to develop and implement successful marketing programs and new products and services; and our ability to effectively and economically manage other operating activities under our agreements with Sprint.conditions. Our ability to attract and maintain a sufficient customer base, particularly in the acquired cableour Broadband markets, is also critical to our ability to maintain a positive cash flow from operations. The foregoing events individually or collectively could affect our results.


Critical Accounting Policies


We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect our reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, as well as related disclosures. To the extent that there are material differences between these estimates and actual results, our financial condition or operating results would be affected. We base our estimates on past experience and other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, and we evaluate these estimates on an ongoing basis. We refer to accounting estimates of this type as critical accounting policies and estimates, which we discuss further below.


Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, in our consolidated financial statements. The following are the accounting policies that we believe involve a greater degree of judgment and complexity and are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our consolidated financial condition and results of operations.


Revenue Recognition


ReferOur Broadband segment provides broadband data, video and voice services to Note 3, Revenue from Contracts with Customers for detailsresidential and commercial customers in portions of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky, via fiber optic, hybrid fiber coaxial cable, and fixed wireless networks. 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”). Our service contracts are generally cancellable at the customer’s discretion without penalty at any time. 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 Company's 2018service, with the exception of equipment sales and home wiring, which are recognized as revenue recognition policy.

For the years ended December 31, 2017at a point in time when control transfers and 2016, the Company recognized revenue when persuasive evidenceinstallation is complete, respectively. Installation fees, charged upfront without transfer of an arrangement existed,commensurate goods or services were rendered or products were delivered, the price to the buyer was fixedcustomer, are allocated to services and determinable and collectability was reasonably assured. Revenue was recognized based on the various types of transactions generating the revenue. For services, revenue was recognized as the services were performed. For equipment sales, revenue was recognized when the sales transaction was complete.

Income Taxes

We account for income taxes under the asset and liability method.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled.  The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.  We make estimates, assumptions and judgments to determine our provision for income taxes and also for deferred tax assets and liabilities and any valuation allowances recorded against our deferred tax assets. We evaluate the recoverability of deferred tax assets and liabilities and, to the extent we believe that recovery is not likely, we establish a valuation allowance.  We evaluate the effective rate of taxes based on apportionment factors, actual operating results, and the various applicable state income tax rates.

ASC 740-10, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes, prescribes a recognition threshold of more-likely- than-not, and a measurement attribute for all tax positions taken or expected to be taken on a tax return, in order for those positions to be recognized in the financial statements. We continually review tax laws, regulations and related guidance in order to properly record any uncertain tax liability positions. We adjust these reserves in light of changing facts and circumstances. We have adopted ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation, which modified income tax consequences for several aspects of share-based payment awards. Excess tax benefits and tax shortfalls for share-based payments are now included in our tax provision expense rather than additional-paid-in-capital. Variability of tax consequences arising from excess tax benefits and tax shortfalls may result due to fluctuations in our stock price and the volume of our employees' equity awards that are exercised or vest. Refer to Note 16, Income Taxes, included with the notes to our consolidated financial statements for additional information concerning income taxes.

Goodwill and Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets

Goodwill represents the excess of acquisition costsratably over the fair value of tangible net assets and identifiable intangible assetslonger of the businesses acquired. Cable franchise rights, included in indefinite-lived intangible assets provide us with the non-exclusive right to provide video services in a specified area. While some cable franchises are issued for a fixed time (generally 10 years), renewals of cable franchises have occurred routinely and at nominal cost. Moreover, we have determined that there are currently no legal, regulatory, contractual, competitive, economiccontract term or other factors that limit the useful lives of our cable franchises and as a result we account for cable franchise rights as an indefinite lived intangible asset.

Goodwill and 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. A qualitative evaluation of our reporting units is utilized to determine whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative two-step impairment test. If it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, we would be required to perform a two-step quantitative test. If the carrying value of the reporting unit's net assets exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, then an impairment loss is recorded.

Our 2018 impairment tests were based on the operating segment structure, where each operating segment was also considered a reporting unit. During the fourth quarter of 2018 we performed a qualitative assessment for our reporting units that were assigned goodwill. During this assessment, qualitative factors were first assessed to determine whether it was more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting units were less than their carrying amounts. Qualitative factors that were considered included, but were not limited to, macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, company specific events, changes in circumstances, after tax cash flows and market capitalization trends.

Based on our annual qualitative impairment evaluations performed during 2018 and 2017, we concluded that there were no indicators of impairment and therefore it was more likely than not that the fair value of the goodwill exceeded its carrying amount, for each reporting unit, and cable franchise rights exceeded its fair value.

Refer to Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, and Note 10, Goodwill and Intangible Assets, included in our consolidated financial statements for additional information concerning goodwill.

Finite-lived Intangible Assets

On an annual basis, or whenever events or changes in circumstances require otherwise, we review our finite-lived intangible assets for impairment. Intangible assets are included in our annual impairment testing and in the event we identify impairment, the intangible assets are written down to their fair values.

Intangible assets typically have finite useful lives that are amortized over their useful lives and primarily consist of affiliate contract expansion, acquired subscribers-cable, and off market leases.  Affiliate contract expansion and acquired subscribers-cable intangibles are amortized over the period in which those relationships are expected to contribute to our future cash flows and are also reduced by managementthe unrecognized fee waiver credits received from Sprint in connection with the 2017 non-monetary exchange. Other finite-lived intangible assets, are generally amortized using the straight-line method of amortization. Such finite-lived intangible assets are subjectremains material to the impairment provisions of ASC 360, Property, Plantcontract, which we estimate to be about one year. Additionally, the Company incurs commission costs which are capitalized and Equipment, where impairment is recognized and measured only if there are events and circumstances that indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. The carrying amount is not recoverable if it exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset group. An impairment loss is recorded if after determining that it is not recoverable, the carrying amount exceeds the fair value of the asset.

Finite-lived intangible assets and liabilities are being amortized over the following estimated useful lives that were established onexpected weighted average customer life which is approximately six years.

Our Broadband segment also provides Ethernet and Wavelength fiber optic services to enterprise and carrier customers under capacity agreements, and the dates acquired:related revenue is recognized over time. In some cases, non-refundable upfront fees are charged for connecting enterprise or carrier customers to our fiber network. Those amounts are recognized ratably over the longer of the contract term or the period in which the unrecognized fee remains material to the respective contract.

39

Estimated Useful Life
Affiliate contract expansion4 - 14 years
Favorable and unfavorable leases - wireless1 - 28 years
Acquired subscribers - cable3 - 10 years
Other intangibles15 - 20 years

There were no impairment charges on intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 or 2016.

Business Combinations

Business combinations, including purchased intangible assets,The Broadband segment also leases dedicated fiber optic strands to customers as part of “dark fiber” agreements, which are accounted for at fair value. Acquisition costs are expensed as incurredleases under ASC 842 Leases ("ASC 842").

Our Tower segment leases space on owned cell towers to our Broadband segment, and recorded in acquisition, integration and migration expenses. The fair value amount assigned to assets acquired and liabilities assumedother wireless carriers. Revenue from these leases is based on an exit price from a market participant's viewpoint, and utilizes data such as discounted cash flow analysis and replacement cost models.accounted for under ASC 842.


Recently Issued Accounting Standards


Recently issued accounting standards and their expected impact, if any, are discussed in Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the notes to in our consolidated financial statements.

40

ITEM 7A.QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

ITEM 7A.QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

The Company’s marketoutstanding term loans under the Prior Credit Agreement, and associated interest rate swap liabilities, were repaid and terminated on July 1, 2021. We have not drawn on the Credit Agreement as of December 31, 2021. As a result, our exposure to significant risks relate primarilyconcerning fluctuating variable interest rates has been mitigated. We expect to changesstart drawing against the Credit Agreement in first quarter of 2022, with additional borrowings occurring as needed to fund the Company's future capital expenditures. We expect to draw $300 million against the Credit Agreement by June 2023. Fluctuations in interest rates on instruments held for other than trading purposes.  The Company’s interest rate risk generally involves two components.  The first component is outstanding debt with variable rates.  As of December 31, 2018, the Company had $785.2 million of variable rate debt outstanding (excluding unamortized loan fees and costs of $15.0 million), bearing interest at a weighted average rate of 3.97% as determined on a monthly basis. An increasefuture borrowings could result in increased market interest rates of 1.00% would add approximately $7.8 million to annual interest expense, excluding the effect of the interest rate swap.  In May 2016, the Company entered into a pay-fixed, receive-variable interest rate swap with three counterparties totaling $256.6 million of notional principal (subject to change based upon expected draws under the delayed draw term loan and principal payments due under our debt agreements).  These swaps, combined with the swap purchased in 2012, cover notional principal equal to approximately 50% of the outstanding variable rate debt through maturity in 2023. The Company is required to pay a combined fixed rate of approximately 1.16% and receive a variable rate based on one month LIBOR (2.5% as of December 31, 2018), to manage a portion of its interest rate risk. Changes in the net interest paid or received under the swaps would offset approximately 50% of the change in interest expense on the variable rate debt outstanding. The swap agreements currently reduce annual interest expense by approximately $4.9 million, based on the spread between the fixed rate and the variable rate currently in effect on our debt.

The second component of interest rate risk is marked increases in interest rates that may adversely affect the rate at which the Company may borrow funds for growth in the future.  If the Company should borrow additional funds under any Incremental Term Loan Facility to fund its capital investment needs, repayment provisions would be agreed to at the time of each draw under the Incremental Term Loan Facility.  If the interest rate margin on any draw exceeds by more than 0.25% the applicable interest rate margin on the Term Loan Facility, the applicable interest rate margin on the Term Loan Facility shall be increased to equal the interest rate margin on the Incremental Term Loan Facility.  If interest rates increase generally, or if the rate applied under the Company’s Incremental Term Loan Facility causes the Company’s outstanding debt to be repriced, the Company’s future interest costs could increase.

Management views market risk as having a potentially significant impact on the Company's results of operations, as future results could be adversely affected if interest rates were to increase significantly for an extended period, or if the Company’s need for additional external financing resulted in increases to the interest rates applied to all of its new and existing debt.  As of December 31, 2018, the Company has $401.2 million of variable rate debt with no interest rate protection.  The Company’s investments in publicly traded stock and bond mutual funds under the rabbi trust, which are subject to market risks and could experience significant swings in market values, are offset by corresponding changes in the liabilities owed to participants in the Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan.  General economic conditions affected by regulatory changes, competition or other external influences may pose a higher risk to the Company’s overall results.
 
ITEM 8.FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

ITEM 8.FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

Our consolidated financial statements and supplementary data are included as a separate section included within Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K commencing on page F-1 and are incorporated herein by reference.



41

ITEM 9.CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

ITEM 9.CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None
None.
 
ITEM 9A.CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

ITEM 9A.CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
(a)Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Financial Officer, and Principal Accounting Officer (the certifying officers) have conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in RuleRules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act)) as of December 31, 2018.2021. Our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officercertifying officers concluded that, as a result of the material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting as described below, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2018.2021.


Per RuleRules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e), the term disclosure controls and procedures means controls and other procedures of an issuer that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.) is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controlsforms, and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information required to be disclosed by an issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the issuer’s management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.


(b)Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
OurIn light of the material weaknesses described below, management performed additional analysis and other procedures to ensure that our consolidated financial statements were prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Accordingly, management believes that the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K fairly present, in all material respects, our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows as of and for the periods presented, in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

As disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company is pursuing a multi-year, phased approach to remediate its material weaknesses. There have been no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as such term is(as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act). A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:

i.Pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company;
ii.Provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and
iii.Provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.


A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.


UnderIn order to evaluate the supervision and with the participationeffectiveness of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an assessment of our internal control over financial reporting, asunder the direction of December 31, 2018, based onour certifying officers, we conducted an assessment using the frameworkcriteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013), issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.


Last year-end, basedBased on this assessment, our assessment ofcertifying officers concluded that the effectiveness ofCompany’s internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2017 as previously disclosed under "Item 9A. Controls and Procedures"2021 due to a material weakness in our Annual Report on Form 10-Kcontrol environment. Unusually high employee turnover and multiple priorities, including the need to recalibrate control activities for the year ended December 31, 2017, management identified the following material weaknesses in internal control, which continue to exist as of December 31, 2018:

The Company did not have a sufficient number of trained resources with assigned responsibility and accountability for the design, operation and documentation of internal control over financial reporting.

The Company did not have an effective risk assessment process that identified and assessed necessary changes in the application of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, financial reporting processes and the design and effective operation of internal controls.
The Company did not have an effective information and communication process that identified and assessed the source of reliable information necessary for financialour smaller continuing operations, upgrade our lease accounting and reporting.
Theenterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, and continue our remediation efforts placed strain on our resources. As a result, the Company did not have effective monitoring activities to assess the operation of internal control.

As a consequence, the Companyinformation and communication processes and did not have effective control activities related to i) the design and operation of process-level controls across all processes.over the accounting for purchases (current liabilities and operating expenses), property, plant, and equipment and related depreciation expense, and leases, and ii) reaching and documenting appropriate historical accounting conclusions related to capitalization of fulfillment costs, fees associated with leases, and cable replacement.

42

These control
As a result of the deficiencies resulted indescribed above, there were immaterial misstatements, some of which were corrected induring 2021, and an immaterial error restatement of the 2020 and 2019 consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and several immaterial review misstatements, some of which were corrected, in the condensed consolidated financial statements in the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the three-, six- and nine-month periods ended March 31, 2018, June 30, 2018 and September 30, 2018, respectively.statements. The control deficiencies described above created a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement to the consolidated financial statements would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis and therefore we concluded that the deficiencies represent material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2018.2021.


Our independent registered public accounting firm, KPMG LLP, who audited the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, issued an adverse reportopinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. KPMG LLP’s report appears on page F-3 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

(c)Management’s Remediation Plan
During the fourth quarter of 2018, management implemented new and revised controls resulting from the culmination of a project designed to achieve an effective and robust system of internal control over financial reporting. Throughout 2018, with assistance from external consultants, management reviewed in detail all business processes impacting financial results. Financial reporting risks were identified for each process and controls were newly designed, updated or modified as necessary to address those risks. New and enhanced internal controls were implemented throughout 2018, with the majority of the key controls being implemented in the third and fourth quarter. However, management is unable to conclude that internal control over financial reporting is effective as of December 31, 2018 as a result of the material weaknesses described above.

Management’s Remediation Plan

The Company is committed to completing its remediation efforts during 2022. Our 2021 accomplishments and 2022 plans are summarized below.

We designed and began to configure new ERP and lease accounting systems that are scheduled to be implemented during 2022 along with newly designed controls and processes over purchasing (current liabilities and operating expenses), property, plant, and equipment and related depreciation expense, and leases.
We will execute the following stepscontinue to re-evaluate previously adopted accounting policies to ensure they remain appropriate in 2019 to remediate the aforementioned material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting:light of our smaller continuing operations, and

Continue to seek,We will hire, retain and train and retain individuals that havewith the appropriate skills and experience related to designing, operating and documentingtechnical accounting, internal control over financial reporting.
Monitor compliance and continue to enhance policies and procedures developed and implemented during 2018 to ensure that effective risk assessments are performed to identify and assess necessary changes in the application of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, financial reporting, processes and the design and effective operationimplementation of internal controls.
Monitor compliance and continue to enhance policies and procedures developed and implemented during 2018information technology solutions to ensure that information needed for financial accounting and reporting purposes and to support the performance of key controls is accurate, complete, relevant and reliable, and communicated in a timely manner.we meet our remediation goals.
Continue to evaluate and enhance the Company’s monitoring activities to ensure the components of internal control are present and functioning related to all business processes.
Continue toWe will report regularly to the audit committeeAudit Committee on the progress and results of the remediation plan, including the identification, status, and resolution of internal control deficiencies.deficiencies


(d)    Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Other than the activities described above under "Management's Remediation Plan", there were no changes in internal control over financial reporting during the fourth quarter of 2018 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B.OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 9B.OTHER INFORMATION

None



43

PART III


ITEM 10.DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

ITEM 10.DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

See “Executive Officers of the Registrant” in Part 1, Item 1 of this report for information about our executive officers, which is incorporated by reference in this Item 10. Other information required by this Item 10 is incorporated by reference to the Company's definitive proxy statement for its 20192022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, referred to as the “2019“2022 proxy statement,” which we will file with the SEC on or before 120 days after our 20182021 fiscal year end, and which appears in the 20192022 proxy statement under the captions “Election of Directors” and “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance.”


We have adopted a code of ethics applicable to our chief executive officer and all senior financial officers, who include our principal financial officer, principal accounting officer, or controller, and persons performing similar functions. The code of ethics, which is part of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, is available on our website at www.shentel.com. To the extent required by SEC rules, we intend to disclose any amendments to our code of conduct and ethics, and any waiver of a provision of the code with respect to the Company’s directors, principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer, or controller, or persons performing similar functions, on our website referred to above within four business days following such amendment or waiver, or within any other period that may be required under SEC rules from time to time.


ITEM 11.EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

ITEM 11.EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Information required by this Item 11 is incorporated herein by reference to the 20192022 proxy statement, including the information in the 20192022 proxy statement appearing under the captions “Election of Directors-Director Compensation” and “Executive Compensation.”


ITEM 12.SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

ITEM 12.SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

Information required by Item 12 is incorporated herein by reference to the 20192022 proxy statement appearing under the caption “Security Ownership.”


The Company awards stock options to its employees meeting certain eligibility requirements under twoits shareholder-approved Company Stock Incentive Plans,Plan, referred to as the 2005 Stock Incentive Plan and 2014 Equity Incentive Plan. The 2014 Equity Incentive Plan authorizes grants of up to an additionadditional 3.0 million shares over a ten-year period beginning in 2014. As a result of the adoption of the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, additional grants will not be made under the 2005 Stock Incentive Plan, but outstandingOutstanding awards will continue to vest and options may continue to be exercised. Outstanding options and the number of shares available for future issuance as of December 31, 20182021 were as follows:
 Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options and RSUsWeighted average exercise price of outstanding optionsNumber of securities remaining available for future issuance
2014 Equity Incentive Plan482,673 $— 1,599,094 

 Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options Weighted average exercise price of outstanding options Number of securities remaining available for future issuance
2005 Stock Incentive Plan47,970
 $6.65
 
      
2014 Equity Incentive Plan13,388
 $33.02
 2,204,820

ITEM 13.CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS, RELATED TRANSACTIONS AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

ITEM 13.CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS, RELATED TRANSACTIONS AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

Information required by Item 13 is incorporated herein by reference to the 20192022 proxy statement, including the information in the 20192022 proxy statement appearing under the caption “Executive Compensation-Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.”


ITEM 14.PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

ITEM 14.PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

Information required by Item 14 is incorporated herein by reference to the 20192022 proxy statement, including the information in the 20192022 proxy statement appearing under the caption “Shareholder Ratification of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.”
 

44

Table of Contents
PART IV


ITEM 15.EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

ITEM 15.EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

The following is a list of documents filed as a part of this report:
        
(1) Financial Statements
(2) Financial Statement Schedule
(3) Exhibits


The exhibits required to be filed by Item 601 of Regulation S-K are listed in the Exhibit Index containeddirectly following Item 16. Form 10-K Summary, within this Annual Report on Form 10-K.


Exhibits Index


45
Exhibit
Number
Exhibit Description
2.1
3.1
3.2
4.1
4.2
10.1
10.2
10.3
10.4
10.5

















Table of Contents
10.6
10.7
10.8
10.9
10.10
10.11
10.12
10.13
10.14
10.15
10.16


10.17
10.18
10.19
10.20
10.21
10.22
10.23
10.24
10.25
10.26

10.27
10.28
10.29
10.30
10.31
10.32
10.33
10.34
10.35
10.36

10.37
10.38
10.39
10.40
10.41
10.42
10.43
10.44
10.45
10.46
10.47
10.48
10.49

10.50
10.51
10.52
10.53
10.54
10.55
10.56
10.57
*10.58
*10.59
*10.60
*21
*23.1
*31.1
*31.2
**32
(101)Formatted in XBRL (Extensible Business Reporting Language)

101.INSXBRL Instance Document
101.SCHXBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CALXBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEFXBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LABXBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PREXBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document


* Filed herewith
** This certification is deemed not filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act), or otherwise subject to the liability of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act), or the Exchange Act.


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

SHENANDOAH TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY

February 28, 2019/S/ CHRISTOPHER E. FRENCH
Christopher E. French, President & Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.


/s/CHRISTOPHER E. FRENCHPresident & Chief Executive Officer,
February 28, 2019Director (Principal Executive Officer)
Christopher E. French
/s/JAMES F. WOODWARDSenior Vice President – Finance and Chief Financial Officer
February 28, 2019(Principal Financial Officer and
James F. WoodwardPrincipal Accounting Officer)
/s/THOMAS A. BECKETTDirector
February 28, 2019
Thomas A. Beckett
/s/TRACY FITZSIMMONSDirector
February 28, 2019
Tracy Fitzsimmons
/s/JOHN W. FLORADirector
February 28, 2019
John W. Flora
/s/ RICHARD L. KOONTZ, JR.Director
February 28, 2019
Richard L. Koontz, Jr.
/s/DALE S. LAMDirector
February 28, 2019
Dale S. Lam
/s/KENNETH L. QUAGLIODirector
February 28, 2019
Kenneth L. Quaglio
/s/LEIGH ANN SCHULTZDirector
February 28, 2019
Leigh Ann Schultz
/s/JAMES E. ZERKEL IIDirector
February 28, 2019
James E. Zerkel II


SHENANDOAH TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY
AND SUBSIDIARIES


Index to the Consolidated 20182021 Financial Statements


Page
F-2
F-2
Consolidated Financial Statements
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 20182021 and 20172020
F-4
F-6
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income for the years ended December 31, 2018, 20172021, 2020 and 20162019F-6
F-7
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2018, 20172021, 2020 and 20162019
F-7
F-8
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2018, 20172021, 2020 and 20162019
F-8
F-9
F-10
F-10
Financial Statement Schedule
Valuation and Qualifying AccountsF-38
F-29



F-1

Table of Contents
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm


To the Shareholders and Board of Directors
Shenandoah Telecommunications Company:

Opinion on the ConsolidatedFinancial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Shenandoah Telecommunications Company and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 20182021 and 2017,2020, the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three‑yearthree-year period ended December 31, 2018,2021, and the related notes and financial statement Scheduleschedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 20182021 and 2017,2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three‑yearthree-year period ended December 31, 2018,2021, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018,2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated February 28, 20192022 expressed an adverse opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Change in Accounting Principle
As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has changed its method of accounting for revenue from contracts with customers in 2018 due to the adoption of Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and several related amendments.
Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.



Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of a critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Determination of costs capitalized into property, plant, and equipment

As discussed in Notes 2 and 6 to the consolidated financial statements, the property, plant, and equipment, net balance as of December 31, 2021 was $554.2 million. The determination to capitalize, rather than expense, costs increases operating income and net income.

We identified the determination of costs capitalized into property, plant, and equipment as a critical audit matter. The nature of evidence provided, such as third-party invoices, can lack specificity of the item acquired or activity performed and required complex judgment to determine that the costs qualified for capitalization.

The following are the primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter. For a sample of costs capitalized, we inspected the related invoice(s). For those invoices lacking specificity, we inspected additional support, such as project documentation or contracts. In certain instances, we also involved a professional with specialized skills and knowledge in the telecommunications industry, who assisted in evaluating the nature of the project and related costs.
F-2

Table of Contents
The combination of these procedures was used to independently assess the Company’s determination that such costs qualified for capitalization.


/s/ KPMG LLP


We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2001.
McLean, VAVirginia
February 28, 20192022

F-3

Table of Contents
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors
Shenandoah Telecommunications Company:

Opinion on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

We have audited Shenandoah Telecommunications Company and subsidiaries’(thesubsidiaries' (the Company) internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018,2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. In our opinion, because of the effect of the material weaknesses, described below, on the achievement of the objectives of the control criteria, the Company has not maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018,2021, based on criteria established inInternal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), theconsolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 20182021 and 2017,2020, the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2018,2021, and the related notes and financial statement Scheduleschedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (collectively, the consolidated financial statements), and our report dated February 28, 20192022 expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.

A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The following material weaknesses have been identified and included in management’s assessment:
The Company did not have a sufficient number of trained resources with assigned responsibility and accountability for the design, operation, and documentation of internal control over financial reporting.
The Company did not have an effective risk assessment process that identified and assessed necessary changes incontrol environment due to insufficient resources. As a result, the application of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, financial reporting processes, and the design and effective operation of internal controls.
The Company did not have anwas unable to maintain effective information and communication process that identifiedprocesses and assessed the source of reliable information necessary for financial accounting and reporting.
The Company did not have effective monitoring activities to assess the operation of internal control.

As a consequence, the Company did not have effective control activities related toto: i) the design and operation of process-level controls across all processes. over the accounting for purchases (current liabilities and operating expenses), property, plant, and equipment and related depreciation expense, and leases, and ii) reaching and documenting appropriate historical accounting conclusions related to the capitalization of contract fulfillment costs, upfront fees associated with lease arrangements, and cable repairs and maintenance.

The material weaknesses were considered in determining the nature, timing, and extent of audit tests applied in our audit of the 20182021 consolidated financial statements, and this report does not affect our report on those consolidated financial statements.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’sManagement's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit
F-4

Table of Contents
preparation of financial

statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.




/s/ KPMG LLP


McLean, VAVirginia
February 28, 20192022



F-5

Table of Contents

SHENANDOAH TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
December 31, 20182021 and 20172020
(in thousands)
2018 2017
(in thousands)(in thousands)20212020
ASSETS   ASSETS
Current assets:   Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents$85,086
 $78,585
Cash and cash equivalents$84,344 $195,397 
Accounts receivable, net54,407
 54,184
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $352 and $614, respectivelyAccounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $352 and $614, respectively22,005 70,393 
Income taxes receivable5,282
 17,311
Income taxes receivable30,188 — 
Inventory, net5,265
 5,704
Prepaid expenses and other60,162
 17,111
Prepaid expenses and other29,830 7,522 
Current assets held for saleCurrent assets held for sale— 1,133,294 
Total current assets210,202
 172,895
Total current assets166,367 1,406,606 
Investments10,788
 11,472
Investments13,661 13,769 
Property, plant and equipment, net701,359
 686,327
Property, plant and equipment, net554,162 440,427 
Other assets:   
Intangible assets, net366,029
 380,979
Goodwill146,497
 146,497
Deferred charges and other assets, net49,891
 13,690
Goodwill and Intangible assets, netGoodwill and Intangible assets, net89,831 106,759 
Operating lease right-of-use assetsOperating lease right-of-use assets56,414 50,387 
Deferred charges and other assetsDeferred charges and other assets10,298 6,448 
Total assets$1,484,766
 $1,411,860
Total assets890,733 2,024,396 
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY   LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:   Current liabilities:
Current maturities of long-term debt, net of unamortized loan fees$20,618
 $64,397
Current maturities of long-term debt, net of unamortized loan fees$— $688,463 
Accounts payable35,987
 28,953
Accounts payable28,542 19,599 
Advanced billings and customer deposits7,919
 21,153
Advanced billings and customer deposits11,128 8,594 
Accrued compensation9,452
 9,167
Accrued compensation9,653 16,413 
Income taxes payableIncome taxes payable— 6,951 
Current operating lease liabilitiesCurrent operating lease liabilities3,318 1,970 
Accrued liabilities and other14,563
 13,914
Accrued liabilities and other14,649 13,869 
Current liabilities held for saleCurrent liabilities held for sale— 452,202 
Total current liabilities88,539
 137,584
Total current liabilities67,290 1,208,061 
Long-term debt, less current maturities, net of unamortized loan fees749,624
 757,561
Other long-term liabilities:   Other long-term liabilities:
Deferred income taxes127,453
 100,879
Deferred income taxes86,014 148,684 
Deferred lease22,436
 15,782
Asset retirement obligations28,584
 21,211
Asset retirement obligations9,615 4,955 
Retirement plan obligations11,519
 13,328
Benefit plan obligationsBenefit plan obligations8,216 14,645 
Non-current operating lease liabilitiesNon-current operating lease liabilities51,692 46,095 
Other liabilities14,364
 15,293
Other liabilities25,631 24,905 
Total other long-term liabilities204,356
 166,493
Total other long-term liabilities181,168 239,284 
Commitments and contingencies (Note 13)

 

Commitments and contingencies (Note 14)Commitments and contingencies (Note 14)00
Shareholders’ equity:   Shareholders’ equity:
Common stock, no par value, authorized 96,000; 49,630 and 49,328 issued and outstanding at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively
 
Common stock, no par value, authorized 96,000; 49,965 and 49,868 issued and outstanding at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectivelyCommon stock, no par value, authorized 96,000; 49,965 and 49,868 issued and outstanding at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively— — 
Additional paid in capital47,456
 44,787
Additional paid in capital49,351 47,317 
Retained earnings386,511
 297,205
Retained earnings592,924 534,440 
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes8,280
 8,230
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of taxesAccumulated other comprehensive loss, net of taxes— (4,706)
Total shareholders’ equity442,247
 350,222
Total shareholders’ equity642,275 577,051 
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity$1,484,766
 $1,411,860
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity$890,733 $2,024,396 
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F-6

Table of Contents
SHENANDOAH TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Years Ended December 31, 2018, 20172021, 2020 and 20162019
(in thousands, except per share amounts)


(in thousands, except per share amounts)202120202019
Service revenue and other$245,239 $220,775 $206,862 
Operating expenses:
Cost of services102,299 89,657 83,572 
Selling, general and administrative82,451 85,016 77,846 
Restructuring expense1,727 — — 
Impairment expense5,986 — — 
Depreciation and amortization55,206 48,703 46,786 
Total operating expenses247,669 223,376 208,204 
Operating loss(2,430)(2,601)(1,342)
Other income, net8,665 3,187 3,280 
Income before income taxes6,235 586 1,938 
Income tax (benefit) expense(1,694)(990)
Income from continuing operations7,929 1,576 1,932 
Discontinued operations:
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax94,667 124,097 53,568 
Gain on the sale of discontinued operations, net of tax896,235 — — 
Total income from discontinued operations, net of tax990,902 124,097 53,568 
Net income998,831 125,673 55,500 
Other comprehensive income:
Net gains (losses) on interest rate swaps, net of tax4,706 (5,014)(7,972)
Comprehensive income$1,003,537 $120,659 $47,528 
Net income per share, basic and diluted:
Basic - Income from continuing operations$0.16 $0.03 $0.04 
Basic - Income from discontinued operations, net of tax$19.81 $2.49 $1.07 
Basic net income per share$19.97 $2.52 $1.11 
Diluted - Income from continuing operations$0.16 $0.03 $0.04 
Diluted - Income from discontinued operations, net of tax$19.76 $2.48 $1.07 
Diluted net income per share$19.92 $2.51 $1.11 
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic50,026 49,901 49,811 
Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted50,149 50,024 50,101 
Cash dividends declared per share$18.82 $0.34 $0.29 
 2018 2017 2016
Operating revenue:     
Service revenue and other$562,456
 $601,673
 $523,748
Equipment revenue68,398
 10,318
 11,540
Total operating revenue630,854
 611,991
 535,288
Operating expenses:     
Cost of services194,022
 188,721
 163,969
Cost of goods sold63,959
 22,786
 29,551
Selling, general and administrative113,222
 165,937
 133,325
Acquisition, integration and migration expenses
 11,030
 42,232
Depreciation and amortization166,405
 177,007
 143,685
Total operating expenses537,608
 565,481
 512,762
Operating income (loss)93,246
 46,510
 22,526
Other income (expense):     
Interest expense(34,847) (38,237) (25,102)
Gain (loss) on investments, net(275) 564
 271
Non-operating income (loss), net3,988
 4,420
 4,250
Income (loss) before income taxes62,112
 13,257
 1,945
Income tax expense (benefit)15,517
 (53,133) 2,840
Net income (loss)46,595
 66,390
 (895)
Other comprehensive income (loss):     
Unrealized gain (loss) on interest rate hedge, net of tax50
 1,442
 6,373
Comprehensive income (loss)$46,645
 $67,832
 $5,478
      
Net income (loss) per share, basic and diluted:     
Basic net income (loss) per share$0.94
 $1.35
 $(0.02)
Diluted net income (loss) per share$0.93
 $1.33
 $(0.02)
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic49,542
 49,150
 48,807
Weighted average shares outstanding, diluted50,063
 50,026
 48,807
Cash dividend declared per share$0.27
 $0.26
 $0.25


See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.



F-7

Table of Contents
SHENANDOAH TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
Years Ended December 31, 2018, 20172021, 2020 and 20162019
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
Shares of Common Stock (no par value)Additional Paid in CapitalRetained EarningsAccumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)Total
Balance, December 31, 2018Balance, December 31, 201849,630 47,456 388,496 8,280 444,232 
Immaterial correction of accumulated error (Note 1)Immaterial correction of accumulated error (Note 1)(3,838)(3,838)
Balance, December 31, 2018 (adjusted)Balance, December 31, 2018 (adjusted)49,630 47,456 384,658 8,280 440,394 
Shares of Common Stock (no par value)Additional Paid in Capital
Retained
Earnings
Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income (Loss)
Total
Balance, December 31, 201548,475
$32,776
$256,747
$415
$289,938
  
Net income (loss)

(895)
(895)
Other comprehensive gain (loss), net of tax


6,373
6,373
Dividends declared ($0.25 per share)

(12,228)
(12,228)
Net incomeNet income— — 55,500 — 55,500 
Net loss on interest rate swaps, net of taxNet loss on interest rate swaps, net of tax— — — (7,972)(7,972)
Dividends declaredDividends declared— — (14,442)— (14,442)
Dividends reinvested in common stock19
524


524
Dividends reinvested in common stock14 499 — — 499 
Stock based compensation
3,506


3,506
Common stock issued through exercise of incentive stock options371
3,359


3,359
Common stock issued for share awards190




Common stock issued2
14


14
Common stock issued to acquire non-controlling interest in nTelos76
10,400


10,400
Shares retired for settlement of employee taxes upon issuance of vested equity awards(198)(5,097)

(5,097)
Balance, December 31, 201648,935
45,482
243,624
6,788
295,894
  
Net income (loss)

66,390

66,390
Other comprehensive gain (loss), net of tax


1,442
1,442
Dividends declared ($0.26 per share)

(12,809)
(12,809)
Dividends reinvested in common stock15
552


552
Share repurchasesShare repurchases(200)(7,231)— — (7,231)
Stock based compensation154
4,184


4,184
Stock based compensation184 4,182 — — 4,182 
Stock options exercised363
2,394


2,394
Stock options exercised29 81 — — 81 
Common stock issued1
21


21
Common stock issued— 34 — — 34 
Shares retired for settlement of employee taxes upon issuance of vested equity awards(216)(7,846)

(7,846)Shares retired for settlement of employee taxes upon issuance of vested equity awards(62)(2,911)— — (2,911)
Common stock issued to acquire non-controlling interest in nTelos76




Common stock issued to acquire non-controlling interest in nTelos76 — — — — 
Balance, December 31, 201749,328
44,787
297,205
8,230
350,222
Balance, December 31, 2019Balance, December 31, 201949,671 42,110 425,716 308 468,134 
  
Change in accounting principle - adoption of accounting standard (Note 3)

56,097

56,097
Net income (loss)

46,595

46,595
Other comprehensive gain (loss), net of tax


50
50
Dividends declared ($0.27 per share)

(13,386)
(13,386)
Net incomeNet income— — 125,673 — 125,673 
Net loss on interest rate swaps, net of taxNet loss on interest rate swaps, net of tax— — — (5,014)(5,014)
Dividends declaredDividends declared— — (16,950)— (16,950)
Dividends reinvested in common stock11
520


520
Dividends reinvested in common stock— (2)— — (2)
Stock based compensation206
5,367


5,367
Stock based compensation156 6,833 — — 6,833 
Stock options exercised113
787


787
Stock options exercised— 36 — — 36 
Common stock issued1
26


26
Common stock issued31 — — 31 
Annual dividend reinvestmentAnnual dividend reinvestment12 526 — — 526 
Shares retired for settlement of employee taxes upon issuance of vested equity awards(105)(4,031)

(4,031)Shares retired for settlement of employee taxes upon issuance of vested equity awards(48)(2,217)— — (2,217)
Common stock issued to acquire non-controlling interest in nTelos76




Common stock issued to acquire non-controlling interest in nTelos76 — — — — 
Balance, December 31, 201849,630
$47,456
$386,511
$8,280
$442,247
Balance, December 31, 2020Balance, December 31, 202049,868 47,317 534,440 (4,706)577,051 
Net incomeNet income— — 998,831 — 998,831 
Net gain on interest rate swaps, net of taxNet gain on interest rate swaps, net of tax— — — 4,706 4,706 
Dividends declaredDividends declared— — (940,347)— (940,347)
Stock based compensationStock based compensation133 3,661 — — 3,661 
Shares retired for settlement of employee taxes upon issuance of vested equity awardsShares retired for settlement of employee taxes upon issuance of vested equity awards(36)(1,627)— — (1,627)
Balance, December 31, 2021Balance, December 31, 202149,965 $49,351 $592,924 $— $642,275 
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F-8

Table of Contents
SHENANDOAH TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Years Ended December 31, 2018, 20172021, 2020 and 20162019
(in thousands)
 2018 2017 2016
Cash flows from operating activities:     
Net income (loss)$46,595
 $66,390
 $(895)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:     
Depreciation142,111
 151,063
 123,995
Amortization24,294
 25,944
 19,690
Amortization reflected as rent expense in cost of services342
 1,528
 728
Bad debt expense1,983
 2,179
 2,456
Stock based compensation expense, net of amount capitalized4,959
 3,580
 3,021
Waived management fee37,763
 36,056
 24,596
Deferred income taxes6,208
 (54,055) (52,875)
(Gain) loss on investments275
 (450) (143)
Net (gain) loss from patronage and equity investments(3,388) (3,008) (795)
Amortization of long-term debt issuance costs3,666
 4,741
 3,914
Net benefit from retirement plans(1,688) (1,388) (4,396)
Accrued interest and other
 416
 1,414
Changes in assets and liabilities:     
Accounts receivable239
 16,451
 14,581
Inventory, net439
 33,339
 (30,288)
Income taxes receivable12,029
 (19,138) 7,694
Other assets(16,246) 1,439
 5,273
Accounts payable(1,377) (36,725) 42,496
Income taxes payable
 
 435
Deferred lease4,723
 327
 4,273
Other deferrals and accruals2,720
 (5,759) (3,648)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities$265,647
 $222,930
 $161,526
      
Cash flows from investing activities:     
Acquisition of property, plant and equipment$(136,641) $(146,489) $(173,231)
Proceeds from sale of assets840
 980
 5,510
Cash disbursed for acquisition, net of cash acquired(52,000) (6,000) (657,354)
Release of restricted cash
 
 2,167
Cash distributions (contributions) from investments and other1
 14
 2,895
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities$(187,800) $(151,495) $(820,013)
      
      
(Continued)     
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      

 2018 2017 2016
Cash flows from financing activities:     
Principal payments on long-term debt$(51,264) $(36,375) $(213,793)
Proceeds from revolving credit facility borrowings15,000
 
 
Proceeds from credit facility borrowings
 25,000
 860,000
Principal payments on revolving credit facility(15,000) 
 
Payments for debt issuance costs(3,971) 
 (14,910)
Dividends paid, net of dividends reinvested(12,866) (12,257) (11,705)
Taxes paid for equity award issuances(3,245) (5,411) (5,097)
Proceeds from issuance of common stock
 
 3,373
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities$(71,346) $(29,043) $617,868
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents$6,501
 $42,392
 $(40,619)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period78,585
 36,193
 76,812
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period$85,086
 $78,585
 $36,193
      
Supplemental Disclosures of Cash Flow Information     
Cash payments for:     
Interest, net of capitalized interest of $1,556; $1,559 and $1,374 in 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively$33,034
 $33,495
 $21,187
Income tax (refunds received) paid, net$(2,721) $20,066
 $44,983
Capital expenditures payable$23,501
 $7,254
 $14,386

Non-cash investing and financing activities:
In conjunction with the 2016 acquisition of nTelos, the Company issued common stock to acquire non-controlling interests held by third parties in a subsidiary of nTelos. The transaction was valued at $10.4 million.

During the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company reclassified $5.2 million of unamortized loan fees and costs included in deferred charges and other assets to long term debt in connection with the new Term loan A-1 and A-2 borrowing related to the acquisition of nTelos.

During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recorded an increase in the fair value of interest rate swaps of $2.0 million, a decrease in deferred tax liabilities of $0.5 million, and an increase to accumulated other comprehensive income of approximately $1.4 million.

(in thousands)202120202019
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income$998,831 $125,673 $55,500 
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax990,902 124,097 53,568 
Income from continuing operations7,929 1,576 1,932 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation54,389 47,964 46,313 
Amortization817 739 473 
Accretion of asset retirement obligations421 333 410 
Bad debt expense1,028 1,220 1,743 
Stock based compensation expense, net of amount capitalized3,408 5,907 3,367 
Deferred income taxes22,263 14,906 16,681 
Restructuring expense1,727 — — 
Impairment expense5,986 — — 
Gain from patronage and investments and other481 (1,311)(4,769)
Changes in assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable163 (7,318)(74)
Current income taxes(25,149)(15,896)(16,675)
Operating lease right-of-use assets4,779 3,980 7,593 
Other assets(7,005)(2,505)785 
Accounts payable2,976 (663)(8,426)
Lease liabilities(4,333)(3,067)(4,987)
Other deferrals and accruals(6,427)7,494 (2,037)
Net cash provided by operating activities - continuing operations63,453 53,359 42,329 
Net cash (used) provided by operating activities - discontinued operations(314,387)249,508 216,816 
Net cash (used) provided by operating activities(250,934)302,867 259,145 
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital expenditures(160,101)(120,450)(67,048)
Cash disbursed for acquisitions— (1,890)(10,000)
Cash disbursed for deposit on FCC spectrum leases— (16,118)(16,742)
Proceeds from sale of assets and other366 370 112 
Net cash used in investing activities - continuing operations(159,735)(138,088)(93,678)
Net cash provided (used) in investing activities - discontinued operations1,944,089 (17,500)(71,656)
Net cash provided (used) in investing activities1,784,354 (155,588)(165,334)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Payments for debt issuance costs(841)— — 
Dividends paid, net of dividends reinvested(940,256)(16,424)(13,943)
Share repurchases— — (7,231)
Taxes paid for equity award issuances(1,627)(2,217)(2,910)
Payments for financing arrangements and other(1,193)(769)36 
Net cash used in financing activities - continuing operations(943,917)(19,410)(24,048)
Net cash used in financing activities - discontinued operations(700,556)(34,123)(53,198)
Net cash used in financing activities(1,644,473)(53,533)(77,246)
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents(111,053)93,746 16,565 
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period195,397 101,651 85,086 
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period$84,344 $195,397 $101,651 
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F-9

Table of Contents
SHENANDOAH TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


Note 1. Nature of Operations


Description of business:Shenandoah Telecommunications Company and its subsidiaries (collectively, 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, hybrid fiber coaxial cable, and fixed wireless personalnetworks. 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 223 cell towers and leases colocation space on those towers to wireless communications providers, refer to Note 15, Segment Reporting, for additional information.

Revision of Prior Period Financial Statements

Immaterial correction of accumulated error

During 2021, the Company determined that an error existed in our previously issued financial statements related to the capitalization of labor costs associated with customer installation activities at existing service locations for the Broadband segment. These activities were incorrectly recognized as capitalized contract fulfillment costs since the adoption of Accounting Standards Codification 606, Revenue from contracts with customers, (“PCS”ASC 606”) on January 1, 2018. The costs should have been expensed according to application of historical accounting policy in place prior to the adoption of ASC 606, and pursuant to industry specific guidance ASC 922 Entertainment – Cable Television. The error was evaluated under the Sprint brands,U.S. Securities and telephone service, cable television, unregulated communications equipment salesExchange Commission's ("SEC's") authoritative guidance on materiality and services, and internet access under the Shentel brand.  In addition,quantification of the Company leases towers and operates and maintains an interstate fiber optic network.  Pursuant to a management agreement with Sprint and its related parties (collectively, “Sprint”),effect of prior period misstatements on the Company’s financial statements. Although the Company has beendetermined such error to be immaterial to its prior annual and interim financial statements, the exclusive Sprint PCS Affiliate providing wireless mobility communications network products and services oncumulative effect of the 800 MHz, 1900 MHz and 2.5 GHz spectrum rangeserror would be material if corrected in a multi-state area covering large portionsthe current year. Therefore, the Company revised its historical financial statements to properly reflect the historical accounting policy elected pursuant to ASC 922. The cumulative impact of central and western Virginia, south-central Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and portionssuch error, relative to earnings, for the period prior to 2019 was insignificant.

As of and for the Year Ended
December 31, 2020
($ in thousands)Pre-AdjustmentError CorrectionPost-Adjustment
Consolidated Balance Sheet:
Prepaid expenses and other$9,631 $(2,109)$7,522 
Deferred charges and other assets11,650 (5,202)6,448 
Deferred income taxes150,652 (1,968)148,684 
Retained earnings539,783 (5,343)534,440 
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income:
Cost of services88,203 1,454 89,657 
Income before income taxes2,040 (1,454)586 
Income tax (benefit) expense(586)(404)(990)
Income from continuing operations2,626 (1,050)1,576 
Net income126,723 (1,050)125,673 
Comprehensive income121,709 (1,050)120,659 
Net income per share, basic and diluted:
Basic - Income from continuing operations$0.05 $(0.02)$0.03 
Basic - Net income per share$2.54 $(0.02)$2.52 
Diluted - Income from continuing operations$0.05 $(0.02)$0.03 
Diluted - Net income per share$2.53 $(0.02)$2.51 

F-10

Table of Maryland, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Ohio. The Company is licensed to use the Sprint brand names in this territory, and operates its network under the Sprint radio spectrum license. The Company also owns cell site towers built on leased land, throughout this region, and leases space on the owned towers to both affiliates and non-affiliated third-party wireless service providers.Contents

As of and for the Year Ended
December 31, 2019
($ in thousands)Pre-AdjustmentError CorrectionPost-Adjustment
Consolidated Balance Sheet:
Prepaid expenses and other$11,178 $(2,510)$8,668 
Deferred charges and other assets9,267 (3,349)5,918 
Deferred income taxes137,567 (1,565)136,002 
Retained earnings, beginning of year388,496 (3,838)384,658 
Retained earnings, end of year430,010 (4,294)425,716 
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income:
Cost of services82,949 623 83,572 
Income before income taxes2,561 (623)1,938 
Income tax (benefit) expense173 (167)
Income from continuing operations2,388 (456)1,932 
Net income55,956 (456)55,500 
Comprehensive income47,984 (456)47,528 
Net income per share, basic and diluted:
Basic - Income from continuing operations$0.05 $(0.01)$0.04 
Basic - Net income per share$1.12 $(0.01)$1.11 
Diluted - Income from continuing operations$0.05 $(0.01)$0.04 
Diluted - Net income per share$1.12 $(0.01)$1.11 
The 2016 acquisition of nTelos and the subsequent Sprint expansions (see Note 4, Acquisitions) expanded the Company's wireless network coverage area to include south-central and western Virginia, West Virginia, and small portions of Kentucky, and Ohio.

Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies


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 Company has made a numberpreparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or the U.S., requires us to make estimates and assumptions related tothat affect the reportingreported amounts of assets and liabilities theand disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods.  Significantperiod. Due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making estimates, made by the Company include, but are not limited to: revenue recognition; estimates of the fair value of stock-based awards; fair value of intangibles and goodwill; depreciable lives of property, plant and equipment; and useful lives of intangible assets. Management reviews its estimates, including those relatedactual results to recoverability and useful lives of assets as well as liabilities for income taxes and pension benefits.  Changesbe reported in facts and circumstances may result in revised estimates, and actual resultsfuture periods could differ from those reported estimates and such differences could be material to the Company's consolidated financial position and results of operations.our estimates.


Cash and cash equivalents:The Company considers Cash equivalents include all temporary cash investments purchased with aan original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.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.


Inventories:  The Company's inventories consist primarily of items held for resale such as devices and accessories. The Company values its inventory at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Inventory cost is computed on an average cost basis. Net realizable value is determined by reviewing current replacement cost, marketability and obsolescence.

Property, plant and equipment:Property, plant and equipment areis stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization.depreciation. 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. Depreciable lives are assigned to assets based on their estimated useful lives.  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 depreciated over the lesser of their useful lives or respective lease terms. The Company takes technology changes into consideration as it assigns the estimated useful lives, and monitors the remaining useful lives of asset groupsLand is not depreciated. Refer to reasonably match the remaining economic life with the useful life and makes adjustments when necessary. Upon retirement or disposition of property and equipment, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is recognized. See Note 9, 6, Property, Plant and Equipment, for additional information.


Goodwill and 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 included in indefinite-lived intangible assets 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 10 years)ten years and up to fifteen years, respectively), renewals of cable franchises have occurredbeen granted routinely and at nominal cost.costs. The Company believes it will be able to meet all requirements necessary to secure renewal of its cable franchise
F-11

Table of Contents
rights and spectrum licenses. Moreover, we havethe 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 an indefinite livedindefinite-lived intangible asset.assets.


Goodwill and indefinite-livedIndefinite-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. A qualitative evaluationThese assets are evaluated for impairment based on the identification of reporting units. Our reporting units align with our reporting segments. We evaluated our reporting units is utilized to determine whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative two-stepfor impairment test. If it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, we would be required to perform a two-step quantitative test. If the carrying value of the reporting unit's net assets exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, then an impairment loss is recorded.

The Company's 2018 impairment tests were based on the operating segment structure, where each operating segment was also considered a reporting unit. Duringduring the fourth quarter of 2018 we performed a2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively, on the basis of qualitative assessment for our reporting units that were assigned goodwill. During this assessment,factors. Our consideration of qualitative factors were first assessed to determine whether it was more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting units were less than their carrying amounts. Qualitative factors that were considered included but werewas not limited to macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, company specific events, changes in circumstances, after tax cash flows and market capitalization trends.

Based on our Company's annual qualitative impairment evaluations performed during 2018 and 2017, we We concluded that there were no indicators ofthat a reporting unit impairment and therefore it was more likely than not that the fair value of the goodwill exceeded its carrying amount, for each reporting unit.

Finite-lived Intangible Assets: On an annual basis and whenever events or changes in circumstances require, the Company reviews its finite-lived intangible assets for impairment. Intangible assets are included in the Company's impairment testing and in the event the Company identifies impairment, the intangible assets are written down to their fair values.

Intangible assets typically have finite useful lives that are amortized over their useful lives and primarily consist of affiliate contract expansion, acquired cable subscribers, and off-market leases.  Affiliate contract expansion and acquired cable subscribers are amortized over the period in which those relationships are expected to contribute to our future cash flows and are also reduced by management fee waiver credits received from Sprint in connection with the 2017 non-monetary exchange. Other finite-lived intangible assets, are generally amortized using the straight-line method of amortization. Such finite-lived intangible assets are subject to the impairment provisions of ASC 360, Property, Plant and Equipment, where impairment is recognized and measured only if there are events and circumstances that indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. The carrying amount is not recoverable if it exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset group. An impairment loss is recorded if after determining that it is not recoverable, the carrying amount exceeds the fair value of the asset.

Finite-lived intangible assets and liabilities are being amortized over the following estimated useful lives that were established on the dates acquired:
Estimated Useful Life
Affiliate contract expansion4 - 14 years
Favorable and unfavorable leases - wireless1 - 28 years
Acquired subscribers - cable3 - 10 years
Other intangibles15 - 20 years

There were no impairment charges on intangible assets forduring the years ended December 31, 2018, 20172021, 2020, or 2016.2019.


Valuation of long-lived assets: Long‑livedLong-lived Assets: Finite-lived intangible assets, such as property, plant, and equipment, and other long-lived assets are reviewedamortized or depreciated over their estimated useful lives, as summarized in the respective notes below. These assets are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicatebased 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 2021. We concluded that the carrying amount of an asset group may not be recoverable.  If the Company determinesthere were no indicators that an asset group mayimpairment was more likely than not be recoverable, an impairment charge is recorded. There were no impairment charges on long-lived assets forduring the years ended December 31, 2018, 20172021, 2020, or 2016.2019.


Business combinations: Business combinations, including purchased intangible assets, are accounted for at fair value. Acquisition costs are expensed as incurred and recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses. The fair value amount assigned to intangible assets is based on an exit price from a market participant's viewpoint, and utilizes data such as discounted cash flow analysis and replacement cost models. The Company's best estimates are employed in determining the assumptions used to derive acquisition date fair value.

Revenue recognition: Refer to Note 3, Revenue from Contracts with Customers for details of the Company's 2018 revenue recognition policy.

For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company recognized revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement existed, services had been rendered or products had been delivered, the price to the buyer was fixed and determinable and collectability was reasonably assured. Revenues were recognized by the Company based on the various types of transactions generating the revenue. For services, revenue was recognized as the services are performed.

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. Advertising expense for the years ended December 31, 2018, 20172021, 2020 and 20162019 was $15.2$4.4 million, $15.5$2.7 million and $12.2$3.5 million, respectively.


Income taxes:  Income taxes are accounted forBenefit Plan Obligations: The Benefit Plan Obligations caption includes the following:
($ in thousands)December 31, 2021December 31, 2020
Pension Plan$2,393 $7,961 
Postretirement Medical Benefits Plan3,506 3,997 
Supplemental executive retirement plan ("SERP")2,317 2,687 
Total$8,216 $14,645 

The pension plan is a frozen defined benefit plan. Benefits under the asset and liability method.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled.  The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.  The Company evaluates the recoverability of deferred tax assets generated from net operating losses. The Company uses a more likely than not threshold to make that determination and has concluded that at December 31, 2018 and 2017, a valuation allowance against certain state deferred tax assets is necessary, as discussed in Note 16, Income Taxes. The Company recognizes the effect of income tax positions only if those positions are more likely than not of being sustained. Recognized income tax positions are measured at the largest amount that is greater than 50% likely of being realized. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment occurs. The Company’s policy is to record interest related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense and penalties in selling, general, and administrative expenses.

Retirement Plans: Through the Company’s acquisition of nTelos, the Company assumed nTelos’ non-contributory defined benefit pension plan (“Pension Plan”) covering all employees who met eligibility requirements and were employed by nTelos prior to October 1, 2003 ("participants"). The Pension Plan was closed to nTelos employees hired on or after October 1, 2003. Pension benefits vested after five years of plan service and were based on years of service and an average of the five highest consecutive years of compensation subject to certain reductions if the employee retires before reaching age 65 and elects to receive the benefit prior to age 65. EffectiveThis plan was amended on December 31, 2012, nTelos amended the Pension Plan to freeze future benefit plan accruals for participants. 


As of December 31, 20182021 and 2017,2020, the fair value of our pension planPension Plan assets and certain other postretirement benefits in aggregate was $20.7were $31.1 million and $22.6$27.0 million, respectively,respectively. These investments are held in mutual funds, and are valued based on the fairnet asset value of ourper share. Our Pension Plan's projected benefit obligations in aggregateobligation was $25.8$33.5 million and $28.2 million, respectively. As a result, the plans were underfunded by approximately $5.1 million and $5.6$34.9 million, at December 31, 20182021 and 2017, respectively,2020, respectively. The Pension Plan liability was discounted at 2.74% and were recorded as2.41% at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

On October 13, 2021, the Company adopted a net liability in our consolidated balance sheets.

Theresolution to terminate its pension plan effective December 31, 2021. Following adoption of the resolution, on October 28, 2021, the Company intendsprovided notice of intent to make future cash contributions toterminate the pension plan to participants. The Company expects to complete the termination of the plan, and settle all obligations thereunder, in amounts necessary to meet minimum funding requirements according to applicable2022.

The postretirement medical benefits plan is a frozen, unfunded, defined benefit plan. The postretirement plan liability was discounted at 2.70% and 2.32% at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Following our adoption of ASU 2017-17, Compensation—Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost, on January 1, 2018, all components of benefit plan regulations.expense are presented in Other income, net and our policy is to immediately recognize actuarial gains and losses into earnings.


Stock Compensation: The SERP is a benefit plan that provides deferred compensation to certain employees. The Company maintains two shareholder-approved Company Stock Incentive Plans allowingholds investments in a rabbi trust as a source of funding for future payments under the grant of equity based incentive compensation to essentially all employees.plan. The 2005 Plan authorized grants of up to 2,880,000 shares over a ten-year period beginning in 2005.  The term of the 2005 Plan expired in February 2014; outstanding awards will continue to vestSERP’s investments were designated as trading securities and options may continue to be exercised, but no additional awards will be granted underliquidated and paid out to the 2005 Plan.participants upon retirement. The 2014 Plan authorizes grants of upbenefit obligation to an additional 3,000,000 shares over a ten-year period beginning in 2014. Under these Plans, grants may takeparticipants is always equal to the form of stock awards, awards of options to acquire stock, stock appreciation rights, and other forms of equity based compensation; both options to acquire stock and stock awards were granted. 

The fair value of each option award is estimated on the grant date using the Black-Scholes option valuation model, based on several assumptions including the risk-free interest rate, volatility, expected dividend yield and expected term.

The fair value of each restricted stock unit award is calculated using the share price at the date of grant. Restricted stock units generally have service requirements only or performance and service requirements with vesting periods ranging from one to four years. Employees and directors who are granted restricted stock units are not required to pay for the shares but generally must remain employed with the Company, or continue to serve as a member of the Company’s board of directors, until the restrictions lapse, which is typically four years for employees and one year for directors.

Compensation Costs

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 onSERP assets under ASC 710 Compensation. Changes to the dateinvestments’ fair value are presented in Other income, net, while the reciprocal changes in the liability representative of compensatory expense, are presented in selling, general and administrative expense.
F-12

Table of Contents

New Accounting Standards
In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04 “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the grant, andEffects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting.” This accounting update provides optional accounting relief to entities with contracts, hedge accounting relationships or other transactions that reference London Interbank Offering Rate (LIBOR) or other interest rate benchmarks for which the costreferenced rate is recognized over the period that the award recipient is required to provide service in exchange for the award. Share-based compensation cost related to awards with graded vesting is recognized using the straight-line method.

Pre-tax share and stock-based compensation charges from our incentive plans included in net income (loss) were as follows:
(in thousands)201820172016
Stock compensation expense$5,367
$4,184
$3,506
Capitalized stock compensation408
604
485
Stock compensation expense, net4,959
3,580
3,021
    
Excess tax benefits, net of deficiencies$1,523
$3,314
$1,709

As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, there was $2.7 million and $2.5 million, respectively, of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested incentive awards that are expected to be recognized overdiscontinued or replaced. This optional relief generally allows for contract modifications solely related to the replacement of the reference rate to be accounted for as a weighted average periodcontinuation of 2.8 years.the existing contract instead of as an extinguishment of the contract, and therefore would not require reassessment of a previous accounting determination. The Company's Credit Agreement has LIBOR as a reference rate. We plan to apply the accounting relief as any relevant contract modifications are made to our Credit Agreement during the course of the reference rate reform transition period. The optional relief can be applied beginning January 1, 2020, and ending December 31, 2022.


AdoptionWe adopted ASU No. 2018-02-Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income, ("ASC 220"), as of New Accounting PrinciplesJanuary 1, 2019. We elected not to reclassify stranded income tax effects from accumulated other comprehensive income (OCI) to retained earnings. We utilize the portfolio approach as our policy to release the income tax effects from accumulated OCI as the entire portfolio is liquidated, sold, or extinguished.


In November 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-10,Government Assistance (Topic 832), Disclosures by Business Entities About Government Assistance,” which requires entities to provide disclosures on material government assistance transactions for annual reporting periods. The Company routinely assesses recently issueddisclosures include information about the nature of the assistance, the related accounting standards.  Disclosure guidance appliespolicies used to all accounting standards which have been issued but not yet adopted, unlessaccount for government assistance, the impacteffect of government assistance on the Company’s balance sheetentity’s financial statements and any significant terms and conditions of the agreements, including commitments and contingencies. The new standard is effective for the Corporation on January 1, 2022 and only impacts annual financial statement of operationsdisclosures. The adoption is not expected to be material.   There have been no developments to recently issued accounting standards, including the expected dates of adoption and estimated effectsa material effect on the Company'sour consolidated financial statements, that would be expectedstatements.

Note 3. Discontinued Operations

On August 26, 2020, Sprint Corporation ("Sprint"), an indirect subsidiary of T-Mobile US, Inc., ("T-Mobile"), on behalf of and as the direct or indirect owner of Sprint PCS, delivered notice to impact the Company exceptexercising its option to purchase the assets and operations of our Wireless operations for 90% of the following:“Entire Business Value” (as defined under our affiliate agreement and determined pursuant to the appraisal process set forth therein). Shortly thereafter, the Company committed to a plan to sell the discontinued Wireless operations.


The Company adopted ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers ("Topic 606", or "On July 1, 2021, pursuant to the new revenue recognition standard"previously announced Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”), dated May 28, 2021, between Shentel and all related amendments, effective January 1, 2018, usingT-Mobile, Shentel completed the modified retrospective methodsale to T-Mobile of its Wireless assets and operations for cash consideration of approximately $1.94 billion, inclusive of the approximately $60 million settlement of the waived management fees by Sprint, and net of certain transaction expenses (the “Transaction”).

The assets and liabilities that transferred in the sale (the "disposal group") were presented as discussed in Note 3, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. held for sale within our historical consolidated balance sheets, and discontinued operations within our historical consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

The Company recognized the cumulative effect of applying the new revenue recognition standardtransaction was structured as an adjustment toasset sale for income tax purposes. As a result, no current or deferred tax assets or liabilities were included within the opening balancedisposal group. While the Company’s long-term debt did not transfer in the sale, its provisions required full repayment of retained earnings. The comparative information has not been retrospectively modifiedall outstanding amounts, concurrent with the consummation of the sale. Accordingly, all debt balances and continues to be reportedrelated interest rate swap liabilities were therefore presented outside of the disposal group as a current liability as of December 31, 2020, and. the related interest expense and debt extinguishment costs were presented within discontinued operations under the accounting standards in effectrelevant authoritative guidance.
F-13

Table of Contents

The carrying amounts of the major classes of assets and liabilities, classified as held for those periods.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases ("Topic 842"), which requires lessees to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms greater than 12 months. The standard also requires disclosures regarding the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases.

Other effects may occur depending on the types of leases and on the specific terms that are utilized by particular lessees.   Effects such as changessale in the categorizationconsolidated balance sheets, were as follows:
(in thousands)December 31,
2020
ASSETS
Inventory$5,746 
Prepaid expenses and other47,003 
Property, plant and equipment, net299,647 
Intangible assets, net176,459 
Goodwill146,383 
Operating lease right-of-use assets421,586 
Deferred charges and other assets36,470 
Current assets held for sale$1,133,294 
LIABILITIES
Current operating lease liabilities$409,887 
Accrued liabilities and other8,770 
Asset retirement obligations33,545 
Current liabilities held for sale$452,202 

Income from discontinued operations, net of rental costs, from rent expense to interest and depreciation expense are also required. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating leases which will affect the pattern of expense recognitiontax in the consolidated statements of operations.comprehensive income consist of the following for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019:

(in thousands)
Revenue:202120202019
Service revenue and other$201,076 $401,035 $375,730 
Equipment revenue12,253 41,338 67,659 
Total revenue213,329 442,373 443,389 
Operating expenses:
Cost of services38,144 116,394 128,482 
Cost of goods sold11,964 40,642 65,148 
Selling, general and administrative17,514 34,011 39,128 
Severance expense465 — — 
Depreciation and amortization— 62,930 111,467 
Total operating expenses68,087 253,977 344,225 
Operating income145,242 188,396 99,164 
Other (expense) income:
Debt extinguishment(11,032)— — 
Interest expense and other, net(9,178)(20,455)(29,286)
Gain on sale of disposition of Wireless assets and operations1,227,531 — — 
Income before income taxes1,352,563 167,941 69,878 
Income tax expense361,661 43,844 16,310 
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax$990,902 $124,097 $53,568 

Consummation of the sale triggered the recognition of approximately $21.2 million of incremental selling costs during 2021, for contingent deal advisory fees and severance expenses, which are netted against the gain on sale of disposition of Wireless assets and operations. In addition, also triggered by the disposition event, we recognized an $11.0 million loss on debt extinguishment and incurred interest expense of approximately $2.6 million on the termination of our interest rate swaps in connection with the Wireless sale.

F-14

Table of Contents
The Company will adoptgenerated $10.2 million in revenue from T-Mobile throughout the standard on January 1, 2019. The modified retrospective application will be used to implementremainder of 2021 after the adoptionconsummation of the new standard, which requires the Company to apply the principles of the standard prospectively and to record an adjustment to retained earnings for impacts related to prior periods as of the effective date.sale.


The Company will elect the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard, which among other things, allows us to carryforward the historical lease classification. The Company will also elect the practical expedient related to land easements, allowing the carry forward of current accounting treatment for land easements on existing agreements. As a lessee, the Company will make an accounting policy election to account for leases with an initial term of 12 months or less similar to existing guidance for operating leases today. The Company will recognize those lease payments in the consolidated statements of operations on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

The Company expects that the most notable impacts to its financial statements upon the adoption of these ASU’s will be the recognition of a material right-of-use asset, recognition of a material lease liability and additional disclosures related to qualitative and quantitative information concerning its portfolio of leases.
The Company is in the process of calculating the right-of-use lease assets and additional lease liabilities that are required to be recognized under Topic 842. A reasonable estimate of the right-of-use lease assets and liabilities that will be required to be

recognized will be available once the necessary software has been successfully implemented. Any difference between the right-of-use assets and lease liabilities amounts that are required to be recognized will be recorded as an adjustment to retained earnings upon adoption. While the Company has not yet completed its implementation, it believes that the adoption of this standard will have a significant impact on its consolidated balance sheets, specifically for the right-of-use assets and liabilities.

The Company does not believe that adoption of the standard will materially affect consolidated net earnings. The standard will have no impact on debt-covenant compliance under current agreements. Refer to Note 13, Commitments and Contingencies, for additional information regarding future expected undiscounted lease payments.

Note 3.4. Revenue from Contracts with Customers

The Company earns revenue primarily through the sale of our wireless telecommunicationsOur Broadband segment provides broadband data, video and voice services wireless equipment, and business,to residential and enterprisecommercial customers in portions of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, via fiber optic, hybrid fiber coaxial cable, and wireline services that include video, internet,fixed wireless networks. The Broadband segment also provides voice and data services. Revenue earned for the year ended December 31, 2018 was as follows:
(in thousands) Wireless Cable Wireline Consolidated
Wireless service $380,818
 $
 $
 $380,818
Equipment 67,510
 695
 193
 68,398
Business, residential and enterprise 
 117,836
 42,445
 160,281
Tower and other 14,327
 10,372
 34,504
 59,203
Total revenue 462,655
 128,903
 77,142
 668,700
Internal revenue (5,016) (4,706) (28,124) (37,846)
Total operating revenue $457,639
 $124,197
 $49,018
 $630,854

Wireless service
The majorityDSL telephone services to customers in Virginia’s Shenandoah County and portions of the Company's revenue is earned through providing network access to Sprint under the affiliate agreement. Wireless service revenue is variable based on billed revenue to Sprint’s subscribers in the Company's affiliate area, less applicable fees retained by Sprint.

The Company's revenue related to Sprint’s postpaid customers is the amount that Sprint bills its postpaid subscribers, reduced by customer credits, write-offs of receivables, and 8% management and 8.6% service fees. The Company is also charged for the costs of subsidized handsets sold through Sprint’s national channels as well as commissions paid by Sprint to third-party resellers in the Company's service territory. 

The Company's revenue related to Sprint’s prepaid customers is the amount that Sprint bills its prepaid subscribers, reduced by costs to acquire and support the customers, based on national averages for Sprint’s prepaid programs, and a 6% management fee.

The Company considers Sprint, rather than Sprint's subscribers, to be the customer under the new revenue recognition standard and the Company's performance obligation is to provide Sprint a series of continuous network access services. The reimbursement to Sprint for the costs of handsets sold through Sprint’s national channels, as well as commissions paid by Sprint to third-party resellers in our service territory represent consideration payable to a customer. These reimbursements are initially recordedadjacent counties as a contract asset andRural Local Exchange Carrier (“RLEC”).

These contracts are subsequently recognized as a reduction of revenue over the expected benefit period between 21 and 53 months. Historically, under ASC 605, Revenue Recognition, the customer was considered the subscriber rather than Sprint and as a result, reimbursement payments to Sprint for costs of handsets and commissions were recorded as operating expenses in the period incurred. During 2017, these costs totaled $63.5 million recorded in cost of goods and services, and $16.9 million recorded in selling, general and administrative costs.

On January 1, 2018, the Company recorded a wireless contract asset of approximately $51.1 million. During the year ended December 31, 2018, payments that increased the wireless contract asset balance totaled $61.2 million and amortization reflected as a reduction of revenue totaled approximately $46.6 million. The wireless contract asset balance as of December 31, 2018 was approximately $65.7 million.

Wireless equipment
The Company owns and operates Sprint-branded retail stores within their geographic territory from which the Company sells equipment, primarily wireless handsets, and service to Sprint subscribers. The Company's equipment is predominantly sold to subscribers through Sprint's equipment financing plans. Under the equipment financing plans, Sprint purchases the equipment from the Company and resells the equipment to their subscribers. Historically, under ASC 605, Revenue Recognition, the Company

concluded that it was the agent in these equipment financing transactions and recorded revenues net of related handset costs which were approximately $63.8 million in 2017. Under Topic 606 the Company concluded that it is the principal in these equipment financing transactions, as the Company controls and bears the risk of ownership of the inventory prior to sale, and accordingly, revenues and handset costs are recorded on a gross basis, the corresponding cost of the equipment is recorded separately to cost of goods sold.

Business, residential and enterprise
The Company earns revenue in the Cable and Wireline segments from business, residential, and enterprise customers where the performance obligations are to provide cable and telephone network services, sell and lease equipment and wiring services, and lease fiber-optic cable capacity. The Company's arrangements are generally composed of contracts that are cancellable at the customer’s discretion without penalty at any time. As there are multiple performance obligationsWe allocate the total transaction price in these arrangements, the Company recognizes revenuetransactions based onupon the standalone selling price of each distinct good or service. The CompanyWe generally recognizesrecognize 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.

Under Installation fees charged upfront without transfer of commensurate goods or services to the new revenue recognition standard, the Company concluded that installation services do not represent a separate performance obligation. Accordingly, installation feescustomer are allocated to services and are recognized ratably over the longer of the contract term or the period in which the unrecognized portion of the fee remains material to the contract, typically 10 and 11 months for cable and wireline customers, respectively. Historically, the Company deferred these fees over the estimated customer life of 42 months.which we estimate to be about one year. Additionally, the Company incurs commission and installation costs related to in-house and third-party vendors that were previously expensed as incurred. Under Topic 606, the Company capitalizeswhich are capitalized and amortizes these commission and installation costsamortized over the expected benefit periodweighted average customer life which is approximately 44 months, 72 months,six years.

Below is a summary of the Broadband segment's capitalized contract acquisition costs:
(in thousands)20212020
Beginning Balance$7,358 $5,147 
Commission payments3,229 4,399 
Contract amortization(2,440)(2,188)
Ending Balance$8,147 $7,358 

Our Broadband segment also provides Ethernet and 46 months,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 cable, wireline,connecting commercial fiber customers to our fiber network. Those amounts are recognized ratably over the longer of the contract term or the period in which the unrecognized fee remains material to the respective contract. A related contract liability of $3.5 million at December 31, 2021, is expected to be recognized into revenue at the rate of approximately $0.2 million per year.

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.

Our Tower segment leases space on owned cell towers to our Broadband segment, and enterprise business, respectively.

Tower / Other
Tower revenue consists primarily of tower spaceto other wireless carriers. Revenue from these leases is accounted for under Topic 840, LeasesASC 842.

Refer to Note 15, Segment Reporting, and Other revenue includes network access-related charges for service provided to customers across the segments.

The cumulative effect of the changes made to the consolidated January 1, 2018 balance sheet for the adoption of the new revenue recognition standard were as follows:
(in thousands) Balance at December 31, 2017 Adjustments due to Topic 606 Balance at January 1, 2018
Assets      
Prepaid expenses and other $17,111
 $29,876
 $46,987
Deferred charges and other assets, net 13,690
 31,071
 44,761
Liabilities      
Advanced billing and customer deposits 21,153
 (14,302) 6,851
Deferred income taxes 100,879
 20,352
 121,231
Other long-term liabilities 15,293
 (1,200) 14,093
Retained earnings 297,205
 56,097
 353,302


The impact of the adoption of the new revenue recognition standard on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income and consolidated balance sheets was as follows:

  Year Ended December, 31 2018
(in thousands) As Reported Balances without Adoption of Topic 606 Effect of Change Higher/(Lower)
Operating revenue:      
Service revenue and other $562,456
 $632,340
 $(69,884)
Equipment revenue 68,398
 8,298
 60,100
Operating expenses:      
Cost of services 194,022
 193,860
 162
Cost of goods sold 63,959
 28,377
 35,582
Selling, general and administrative 113,222
 175,753
 (62,531)

  As of December 31, 2018
(in thousands) As Reported Balances without Adoption of Topic 606 Effect of Change Higher/(Lower)
Assets      
Prepaid expenses and other $60,162
 $22,204
 $37,958
Deferred charges and other assets, net 49,891
 12,083
 37,808
Liabilities      
Advanced billing and customer deposits 7,919
 24,414
 (16,495)
Deferred income taxes 127,453
 103,404
 24,049
Other long-term liabilities 14,364
 15,550
 (1,186)
Retained earnings 386,511
 319,926
 66,585

Future performance obligations
On December 31, 2018, the Company had approximately $3.3 million allocated to unsatisfied performance obligations, which is exclusive of contracts with original expected duration of one year or less. The Company expects to recognize approximately $0.7 million of this amount as revenue during 2019, $0.7 million in 2020, an additional $0.6 million by 2021, and the balance thereafter.
Contract acquisition costs and costs to fulfill contracts
Capitalized contract costs represent contract fulfillment costs and contract acquisition costs which include commissions and installation costs in our Cable and Wireline segments. Capitalized contract costs are amortized on a straight line basis over the contract term plus expected renewals or expected period of benefit. The Company elected to apply the practical expedient to expense contract acquisition costs when incurred, if the amortization period would be twelve months or less. The amortizationsummary of these costs is included in cost of services, and selling, general and administrative expenses. Amounts capitalized were approximately $10.1 million as of December 31, 2018 of which $4.6 million is presented as prepaid expenses and other and $5.5 million is presented as deferred charges and other assets, net. Amortization recognized during the year ended December 31, 2018 was approximately $5.5 million.revenue streams.


Note 4.Acquisitions

Sprint Territory Expansion

Effective February 1, 2018, the Company signed an expansion agreement with Sprint to expand its wireless service coverage area to include certain areas in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, (the “Expansion Area”). The agreement includes certain network build out requirements in the Expansion Area, and the ability to utilize Sprint’s spectrum in the Expansion Area. Pursuant to the expansion agreement, Sprint agreed to, among other things, transition the provision of network coverage in the Expansion Area from Sprint to the Company. The expansion agreement required a payment of $52.0 million for the right to service the Expansion Area pursuant to the Affiliate Agreements plus an additional payment of up to $5.0 million after acceptance of certain equipment at the Sprint cell sites in the Expansion Area. The transaction wasNo customers accounted for as an asset acquisition.

The Company recorded the following in the wireless segment:

($ in thousands) Estimated Useful Life (in years) February 1, 2018
Affiliate contract expansion 12 $45,148
Prepayment of tangible assets N/A 6,497
Off-market leases - favorable 16.5 3,665
Off-market leases - unfavorable 4.2 (3,310)
Total   $52,000

Estimated useful lives are approximate and represent the averagemore than 10% of the remaining useful lives as of the acquisition date. Prepayment of tangible assets will be depreciated over the asset life when the underlying assets are placed in service.

The Company allocated the purchase price to the components identified in the table above based on the relative fair value of each component. The fair value of the components was determined using an income and cost approach.

Acquisition of "Parkersburg" Expansion Area

On April 6, 2017, the Company expanded its affiliate service territory, under its agreements with Sprint, to include certain areas in North Carolina, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia,revenue for total consideration of $6.0 million.  The expanded territory includes the Parkersburg, WV, Huntington, WV, and Cumberland, MD, basic trading areas. Approximately 25,000 Sprint retail and former nTelos postpaid and prepaid subscribers in the new basic trading areas became Sprint-branded affiliate customers managed by the Company.

Acquisition of NTELOS Holdings Corp. and Exchange with Sprint

On May 6, 2016, (the "acquisition date"), the Company completed its acquisition of NTELOS Holdings Corp.  nTelos, was a regional provider of wireless telecommunications solutions and was acquired to expand the Company's wireless service area and subscriber base, thus strengthening the Company's relationship with Sprint.

Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger between the Company and nTelos (the "Merger Agreement"), nTelos became a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, the Company acquired all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of nTelos for an aggregate purchase price of $667.8 million. The purchase price was financed by a credit facility arranged by CoBank, ACB, Royal Bank of Canada, Fifth Third Bank, Bank of America, N.A., Capital One, National Association, Citizens Bank N.A., and Toronto Dominion (Texas) LLC. 

Transaction costs in connection with the acquisition were expensed as incurred and are included in acquisition, integration and migration expenses in the consolidated statement of operations. The results of operations related to nTelos are included in our consolidated statements of operations beginning from the acquisition date.

The Company accounted for the acquisition of nTelos under the acquisition method of accounting, in accordance with FASB's ASC 805, Business Combinations, and has accounted for measurement period adjustments under ASU 2015-16, Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement Period Adjustments.  Estimates of fair value included in the consolidated financial statements, in conformity with ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, represent the Company's best estimates and valuations. In accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations, the allocation of the consideration value was subject to adjustment until the Company completed its analysis, in a period of time, but not to exceed one year after the date of acquisition, or May 6, 2017, in order to provide the Company with the time to complete the valuation of its assets and liabilities. The Company's allocation of the consideration value to assets acquired and liabilities assumed incorporated all measurement period adjustments.

The following table summarizes the final purchase price allocation to assets acquired and liabilities assumed, including measurement period adjustments:

(in thousands)Purchase Price Allocation
Accounts receivable$47,234
Inventory4,572
Restricted cash2,167
Investments1,501
Prepaid expenses and other assets14,835
Building held for sale4,950
Property, plant and equipment227,247
Spectrum licenses198,200
Acquired subscribers - wireless205,946
Favorable lease intangible assets17,029
Goodwill146,383
Other long term assets10,843
Total assets acquired$880,907
  
Accounts payable8,543
Advanced billings and customer deposits12,477
Accrued expenses23,141
Capital lease liability418
Deferred tax liabilities129,291
Retirement benefits19,198
Other long-term liabilities20,085
Total liabilities assumed$213,153
  
Net assets acquired$667,754

Concurrently with acquiring nTelos, the Company completed its previously announced transaction with SprintCom, Inc., a subsidiary of Sprint.  Pursuant to this transaction, among other things, the Company exchanged spectrum licenses, valued at
$198.2 million and wireless subscribers, valued at $205.9 million, acquired from nTelos with Sprint, and received an expansion of its affiliate service territory valued at approximately $405.0 million. These exchanges were accounted for in accordance with ASC 845, Nonmonetary Transactions. The expansion intangible was measured at fair valued using an income based model, the Excess Earnings Method, and considered cash flows to be generated from current and future Sprint subscribers. Further, as the value of assets provided to Sprint exceeded the value of assets received in the non-monetary exchange, the Company and Sprint agreed to waive management fees in an amount of approximately $255.6 million. The cash flow savings associated with the management fee waiver is incorporated in the fair value estimate.

Goodwill is the excess of the consideration transferred over the net assets recognized and represents the future economic benefits, primarily as a result of other assets acquired that could not be individually identified and separately recognized. The Company has recorded goodwill in its Wireless segment as a result of the nTelos acquisition.  Goodwill is not amortized. The goodwill that arose from the acquisition of nTelos is not deductible for tax purposes.

Since the acquisition of nTelos occurred, the Company incurred a total of approximately $75.7 million of acquisition, integration and migration expenses associated with this transaction, excluding approximately $23.0 million of debt issuance costs. Such costs included support of back office staff and support functions required while the nTelos legacy customers were migrated to the Sprint billing platform; cost of the handsets that were provided to nTelos legacy customers as they migrated to the Sprint billing platform; severance costs for back office and other former nTelos employees who were not retained permanently; and transaction related fees.  The Company incurred $17.5 million and $54.7 million of these costs during the years ended December 31, 20172021, 2020 and 2016, respectively. These costs include $1.8 million2019 and $1.3 million reflected in costno customer made up more than 10% of goods and services and $4.7 million and $11.1 million reflected in selling, general and administrative costs in the years endedaccounts receivable at December 31, 20172021 and 2016, respectively.December 31, 2020.



The amounts of operating revenue and income or loss before income taxes related to the former nTelos entity are not readily determinable due to intercompany transactions, allocations and integration activities that have occurred in connection with the operations of the combined company.

The following table presents the unaudited pro forma information, based on estimates and assumptions that the Company believes to be reasonable, for the Company as if the acquisition of nTelos had occurred at the beginning of the period presented:
(in thousands)   Year Ended
December 31, 2016
Operating revenues   $646,769
Income (loss) before income taxes   $2,989

The pro forma information provided in the table above is not necessarily indicative of the consolidated results of operations for future periods or the results that actually would have been realized had the acquisition been completed at the beginning of the period presented.

The pro forma information provided in the table above is based upon estimated valuations of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as well as estimates of depreciation and amortization charges thereon. Other estimated pro forma adjustments include the following:
changes in nTelos' reported revenues from cancelling nTelos' wholesale contract with Sprint;
the incorporation of the Sprint-homed customers formerly serviced under the wholesale agreement into the Company’s affiliate service territory under the Company’s affiliate agreement with Sprint;
the effect of other changes to revenues and expenses due to various provisions of the affiliate agreement and the elimination of non-recurring transaction related expenses incurred by the Company and nTelos;
the elimination of certain nTelos operating costs associated with billing and care that are covered under the fees charged by Sprint under the affiliate agreement;
historical depreciation expense was reduced for the fair value adjustment decreasing the basis of property, plant and equipment; this decrease was offset by a shorter estimated useful life to conform to the Company’s standard policy and the acceleration of depreciation on certain equipment; and
incremental amortization due to the affiliate contract expansion intangible asset.

The value of the affiliate agreement expansion discussed above is based on changes to the amended affiliate agreement that include:
an increase in the price to be paid by Sprint from 80% to 90% of the entire business value if the affiliate agreement is not renewed;
extension of the affiliate agreement with Sprint by five years to 2029;
expanded territory in the nTelos service area;
rights to serve all future Sprint customers in the affiliate service territory;
the Company's commitment to upgrade certain coverage and capacity in its newly acquired service area; and
a reduction of the management fee charged by Sprint under the amended affiliate agreement; not to exceed $4.2 million in an individual month until the total waived fee equals approximately $255.6 million.

Note 5. Customer Concentration

Significant Contractual Relationship

In 1999, the Company executed a Management Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Sprint whereby the Company committed to construct and operate a PCS network using CDMA air interface technology.  The Agreement has been amended numerous times. Under the amended Agreement, the Company is the exclusive PCS Affiliate of Sprint providing wireless mobility communications network products and services on the 800 MHz, 1900 MHz and 2.5 GHz spectrum ranges in its territory across a multi-state area covering large portions of central and western Virginia, south-central Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and portions of Maryland, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Ohio. Effective February 1, 2018, the Company amended its Agreement with Sprint to expand its wireless service area to include certain areas in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. See Note 4 for further information about this expansion agreement.  As an exclusive PCS Affiliate of Sprint, the Company has the exclusive right to build, own and maintain its portion of Sprint’s nationwide PCS network, in the aforementioned areas, to Sprint’s specifications.  The initial term of the Agreement extends through November 2029, with two successive 10-year renewal periods, unless terminated by either party under provisions outlined in the Agreement.  Upon non-renewal by either party, the Company may cause Sprint to buy or Sprint may cause the Company to sell the business at 90% of Entire Business Value (“EBV”) as defined in the Agreement.  EBV in the Agreement is defined as i) the fair market value of a going concern paid by a willing buyer to a willing seller; ii) valued

as if the business will continue to utilize existing brands and operate under existing agreements; and, iii) valued as if Manager (Shentel)  owns the spectrum.  Determination of EBV is made by an independent appraisal process.

Accounts Receivable
Accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount and generally do not bear interest.  Accounts receivable are concentrated among customers within the Company's geographic service area and large telecommunications companies. 

The Company has one major customer relationship with Sprint that is a significant source of revenue. 

Accounts receivable from significant clients, those representing 10% or more of total accounts receivable for the dates noted, are summarized below:
  December 31,
($ in thousands) 2018 2017
Sprint $43,227 $43,405
% of total accounts receivable 79% 80%

Correspondingly, revenue from significant clients, those representing 10% or more of total revenue for the respective periods, is summarized as follows:
  Year Ended December 31,
  2018 2017 2016
Sprint 68% 72% 69%

Note 6.  Earnings (Loss) Per Share ("EPS")

Basic EPS was computed by dividing net income or loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period.  Diluted EPS was computed under the treasury stock method, assuming the conversion as of the beginning of the period, for all dilutive stock options. Diluted EPS was computed by dividing net income (loss) by the sum of the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding and potentially dilutive securities outstanding during the period under the treasury stock method. Potentially dilutive securities include stock options and restricted stock units and shares that the Company is contractually obligated to issue in the future.

The following table indicates the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share:
 Years Ended December 31,
(in thousands, except per share amounts)2018 2017 2016
Calculation of net income (loss) per share:     
Net income (loss)$46,595
 $66,390
 $(895)
Basic weighted average shares outstanding49,542
 49,150
 48,807
Basic net income (loss) per share$0.94
 $1.35
 $(0.02)
      
Effect of stock options outstanding:     
Basic weighted average shares outstanding49,542
 49,150
 48,807
Effect from dilutive shares and options outstanding521
 876
 
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding50,063
 50,026
 48,807
Diluted net income (loss) per share$0.93
 $1.33
 $(0.02)

Due to the net loss for the year ended December 31, 2016, no adjustment was made to basic shares for potentially dilutive securities, as such an adjustment would have been anti-dilutive.

The computation of diluted EPS does not include certain unvested awards, on a weighted average basis, because their inclusion would have an anti-dilutive effect on EPS. The awards excluded because of their anti-dilutive effect are as follows:

 Years Ended December 31,
(in thousands)2018 2017 2016
Awards excluded from the computation of diluted net income (loss) per share because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive33
 21
 800

Note 7.  Investments


Investments consist of the following:
(in thousands)December 31,
2021
December 31,
2020
SERP Investments at fair value$2,317 $2,687 
Cost method investments11,004 10,536 
Equity method investments340 546 
Total investments$13,661 $13,769 
F-15

Table of Contents
(in thousands)December 31, 2018 December 31, 2017
Domestic equity funds$1,409
 $2,856
International equity funds370
 423
Total investments carried at fair value1,779
 3,279
    
CoBank7,705
 6,818
Equity in other telecommunications partners782
 811
Total investments carried at cost8,487
 7,629
    
Other522
 564
Total equity method investments522
 564
    
Total investments$10,788
 $11,472


The classifications of debt and equity securities are determined by the CompanySERP Investments at the date individual investments are acquired.  The appropriateness of such classification is periodically reassessed.fair value: The Company monitorsholds the fair value of allSERP investments and based on factors such as market conditions, financial information and industry conditions, the Company reflects impairments in values when warranted.  The classification of those securities and the related accounting policies are as follows:

Investments Carried at Fair Value: Investments in equity and bond mutual funds and investment trusts held within the Company’s rabbi trust, which is related to the Company’s unfunded Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan, ("SERP"), are reported at fair value using net asset value per share.  The Company has elected to recognize unrealized gains and losses on investments carried at fair value in earnings, pursuant to the fair value option in ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement. Investments carried at fair value were acquired under a rabbi trust arrangement related toas a source of funding for future payments under the Company’s SERP.plan. The Company purchasesSERP’s investments in the trust to mirror the investment elections of participants in the SERP. The Company recorded a loss of $0.2 million, gain of $0.5 millionwere designated as trading securities and gain of $0.1 million in 2018, 2017will be liquidated and 2016, respectively. Fair values for these investments are determined by quoted market prices for the underlying mutual funds, which may be based upon net asset value. Gains and losses on the investments in the trust are reflected as increases or decreases in the liability owedpaid out to the participants and are recorded as pension expense included within "Non-operating income (loss), net" in our consolidated statements of operations.

Investments Carried at Cost:  Investments in common stock in which the Company does not have a significant ownership (less than 20%) and for which theresix months after retirement. The benefit obligation to participants is no ready market, are carried at cost. Information regarding investments carried at cost is reviewed for evidence of impairment.  Impairments, if any, are charged to earnings and a new cost basis for the investment is established. The Company’s investment in CoBank increased $0.9 million and $0.7 million in the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, duealways equal to the ongoing equity-based patronage earned from the outstanding investment and loan balances the Company has with CoBank.

Equity Method Investments:  Investments in the equity of partnerships and in unconsolidated corporations where the Company's ownership is 20% or more, but less than 50%, or where the Company otherwise has the ability to exercise significant influence, are reported under the equity method.  Under this method, the Company's equity in earnings or losses of investees is reflected in earnings.  Distributions received reduce the carrying value of these investments.  The Company recognizes a loss when there is a decline in value of the SERP assets under ASC 710, Compensation.

Cost Method Investments: Our investment which is other thanin CoBank’s Class A common stock, derived from the CoBank patronage program, represented substantially all of our cost method investments with a temporary decline.balance of $10.3 million and $9.8 million at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. We recognized approximately $2.0 million, $4.2 million and $4.2 million of patronage income in Other income (expense) in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Historically, approximately 75% of the patronage distributions were collected in cash and 25% in equity.

Equity Method Investments: At December 31, 2018,2021, the Company had a 23% ownership interest in Virginia Independent Telephone Alliance and a 20%20.0% ownership interest in Valley Network Partnership.


Note 8. Fair Value Measurements

Partnership (“ValleyNet”). The Company applies ASC 820-10, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, which defines fair value, establishes a fair value hierarchyValleyNet purchase capacity on one another’s fiber network. We recognized revenue of $0.7 million, $0.9 million, and $1.0 million from providing service to ValleyNet during 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively. We recognized cost of service of $1.2 million, $2.7 million, and $3.0 million for assets and liabilities measured at fair value, and expands required disclosures about fair value measurements. The guidance defines fair value as the exchange price that would be received for 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. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value must maximize the use of observable inputsValleyNet’s network during 2021, 2020, and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The guidance requires the Company to classify and disclose assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis, as well as fair value measurements of assets and liabilities measured on a nonrecurring basis in periods subsequent to initial measurement, in a three-tier fair value hierarchy as described below:2019, respectively.


Level 1-Financial assets and liabilities whose values are based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity can access at the measurement date.

Level 2-Financial assets and liabilities whose values are based on inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly.

Level 3-Financial assets and liabilities whose values are based on unobservable inputs for the asset or liability.

Financial instruments are defined as cash, or other financial instruments to a third party. The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, other current assets, investments, accounts payable and accrued liabilities approximate fair value due to their short-term nature. The Company's Credit Facility (as defined in Note 14, Long-Term Debt) approximates fair value because of its floating rate structure.

Derivative financial instruments are recognized as assets or liabilities in the financial statements and measured at fair value on a recurring basis. See Note 11, Derivatives and Hedging, for additional information. The Company measures its interest rate swaps at fair value and recognizes such derivative instruments as either assets or liabilities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.  Changes in the fair value of swaps are recognized in other comprehensive income, as the Company has designated these swaps as cash flow hedges for accounting purposes. The Company entered into these swaps to manage a portion of its exposure to interest rate movements by converting a portion of its variable rate long-term debt to fixed rate debt.

The following tables present the fair value hierarchy for financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis:
(in thousands)For the year ended December, 31 2018
Balance sheet location:Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total
Prepaid expenses and other       
Interest rate swaps$
 $4,930
 $
 $4,930
Deferred charges and other assets, net:       
Interest rate swaps
 8,323
 
 8,323
Total$
 $13,253
 $
 $13,253

(in thousands)For the year ended December, 31 2017
Balance sheet location:Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total
Cash and cash equivalents       
Money market funds$150
 $
 $
 $150
Prepaid expenses and other       
Interest rate swaps
 2,411
 
 2,411
Deferred charges and other assets, net:       
Interest rate swaps
 10,776
 
 10,776
Total$150
 $13,187
 $
 $13,337


The Company determines the fair value of its security holdings based on pricing from its vendors. The valuation techniques used to measure the fair value of financial instruments having Level 2 inputs were derived from non-binding consensus prices that are corroborated by observable market data or quoted market prices for similar instruments. Such market prices may be quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1 inputs) or pricing determined using inputs other than quoted prices that are observable either directly or indirectly (Level 2 inputs).

The Company has certain non-marketable long-term investments for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value with a total carrying value of $9.0 million and $8.2 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, of which $7.7 million and $6.8 million, respectively, represents the Company’s investment in CoBank. This investment is primarily related to patronage distributions of restricted equity and is a required investment related to the portion of the Credit Facility held by CoBank. This investment is carried under the cost method. See Note 7, Investments, for additional information.

Note 9.6. Property, Plant and Equipment


Property, plant and equipment consisted of the following:
($ in thousands)Estimated Useful LivesDecember 31,
2021
December 31,
2020
Land$3,771 $3,909 
Land improvements10 years3,478 2,910 
Buildings and structures10 - 45 years96,323 91,335 
Cable and fiber15 - 30 years453,405 390,209 
Equipment and software4 - 8 years391,293 331,047 
Plant in service 948,270 819,410 
Plant under construction 79,963 49,417 
Total property, plant and equipment 1,028,233 868,827 
Less: accumulated amortization and depreciation474,071 428,400 
Property, plant and equipment, net $554,162 $440,427 
($ in thousands)Estimated Useful Lives December 31,
2018
 December 31,
2017
Land  $6,723
 $6,418
Buildings and structures10 - 40 years 213,657
 195,540
Cable and wire4 - 40 years 309,928
 286,999
Equipment and software2 - 17 years 791,401
 730,228
Plant in service  1,321,709
 1,219,185
Plant under construction  81,409
 62,202
Total property, plant and equipment  1,403,118
 1,281,387
Less accumulated amortization and depreciation  701,759
 595,060
Property, plant and equipment, net  $701,359
 $686,327


Depreciation expense forProperty, plant and equipment net, increased due primarily to capital expenditures in the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016, was $142.1 million, $151.1 million, and 124.0 million, respectively. TheBroadband segment driven by our Glo Fiber market expansion. In Q4 2021, the Company leases fiber under indefeasible rightceased expansion of use agreements (IRUs). IRU's totaled $5.6 million and $5.9 million at December 31, 2018 and 2017 and were classified as capital lease agreements withinits Beam network, resulting in abandonment of related property, plant and equipment.

At December 31, 2018 and 2017, Consequently, the Company had unamortized capitalized software costsrecorded $6.0 million of impairment charges related to abandonment of Beam property, plant and equipment after estimating the salvage value based on quoted prices for software in servicethe assets.

F-16

Table of $27.8 million and $28.0 million, respectively.Contents

At December 31, 2018 and 2017, plant under construction consisted primarily of equipment and software, which was not placed into service.

Note 10.7. Goodwill and Intangible Assets


Goodwill by segment consisted of the following:
(in thousands)December 31, 2018 December 31, 2017
Wireless$146,383
 $146,383
Cable104
 104
Wireline10
 10
Total Goodwill$146,497
 $146,497


IntangibleThe Company's intangible assets consisted of the following:
 December 31, 2021December 31, 2020
(in thousands)Gross
Carrying
Amount
Accumulated Amortization and OtherNetGross
Carrying
Amount
Accumulated Amortization and OtherNet
Goodwill - Broadband$3,244 $— $3,244 $3,244 $— $3,244 
Indefinite-lived intangibles:
Cable franchise rights$64,334 $— $64,334 $64,334 $— $64,334 
FCC spectrum licenses13,839 — 13,839 29,958 — 29,958 
Railroad crossing rights141 — 141 141 — 141 
Total indefinite-lived intangibles78,314 — 78,314 94,433 — 94,433 
Finite-lived intangibles:
FCC spectrum licenses6,811 (672)6,139 6,811 (340)6,471 
Subscriber relationships28,425 (26,451)1,974 28,425 (26,000)2,425 
Other intangibles463 (303)160 463 (277)186 
Total finite-lived intangibles35,699 (27,426)8,273 35,699 (26,617)9,082 
Total goodwill and intangible assets$117,257 $(27,426)$89,831 $133,376 $(26,617)$106,759 
 December 31, 2018 December 31, 2017
(in thousands)Gross
Carrying
Amount
 Accumulated Amortization and Other Net Gross
Carrying
Amount
 Accumulated Amortization and Other Net
Non-amortizing intangibles:           
Cable franchise rights$64,334
 $
 $64,334
 $64,334
 $
 $64,334
Railroad crossing rights141
 
 141
 141
 
 141
Total non-amortizing intangibles64,475
 
 64,475
 64,475
 
 64,475
            
Finite-lived intangibles:           
Affiliate contract expansion - Wireless455,305
 (167,830) 287,475
 410,157
 (105,964) 304,193
Favorable leases - Wireless15,743
 (1,919) 13,824
 13,103
 (1,222) 11,881
Acquired subscribers - Cable25,265
 (25,250) 15
 25,265
 (25,100) 165
Other intangibles463
 (223) 240
 463
 (198) 265
Total finite-lived intangibles496,776
 (195,222) 301,554
 448,988
 (132,484) 316,504
Total intangible assets$561,251
 $(195,222) $366,029
 $513,463
 $(132,484) $380,979


During the third quarter of 2020, the Company was awarded certain indefinite-lived Citizens Broadband Radio Service ("CBRS") spectrum licenses to be used within the Broadband segment. The Company paid an aggregate deposit of $16.1 million with the licenses subject to final approval and issuance by the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”). The licenses will provide us priority access rights over general access users other than incumbents, in that specific band, in accordance with the FCC’s three-tier CBRS band spectrum sharing framework to utilize designated radio frequency spectrum within specific geographic service areas to provide wireless communication services. The FCC has delayed the issuance of the licenses because the allowable spectrum ownership levels for certain of our investors would be exceeded should the licenses be issued. The Company is currently in discussions with the FCC and is considering to forego the issuance of certain licenses included in this transaction covering 15 markets with a cost basis of approximately $4.5 million in exchange for a refund and expects resolution in early 2022. The entire deposit of $16.1 million is classified within prepaid expenses and other in the Company's consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2021.
For the years ended December 31, 2018, 20172021, 2020 and 2016,2019, amortization expense related towas approximately $0.8 million, $0.7 million and $0.5 million, respectively.

Our finite-lived intangible assets was approximately $24.6 million, $27.5 million and $34.9 million, respectively. Affiliate contract expansion wasare amortized over the following estimated useful lives:
Estimated Useful Life
FCC spectrum licenses18 - 30 years
Subscriber relationships3 - 10 years
Other intangibles15 - 20 years

F-17

Table of Contents
The following table summarizes expected benefit period and was further reduced by the amountamortization of waived management fees received from Sprint which were $37.8 million, $36.1 million and $24.6 million for the years endedintangible assets at December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Since May 6, 2016, the date of the non-monetary exchange, waived management fees received from Sprint totaled $98.4 million.2021:

(in thousands)Amortization of Intangible Assets
2022$772 
2023772 
2024772 
2025768 
2026427 
Thereafter4,762 
Total$8,273 
The gross carrying amount of certain intangibles was affected by the expansion of the Company's wireless service coverage area with Sprint. See Note 4, Acquisitions for additional information.

Aggregate amortization expense, including amortization classified as a rent expense, for intangible assets for the periods shown is expected to be as follows:
Year Ending December 31, Total Amount Reflected as Rent Expense Amount Reflected as Amortization Expense
(in thousands)      
2019 $21,094
 $991
 $20,103
2020 18,193
 965
 17,228
2021 15,477
 953
 14,524
2022 14,015
 935
 13,080
2023 13,794
 924
 12,870
thereafter 61,816
 9,056
 52,760
Total $144,389
 $13,824
 $130,565

Affiliate contract expansion will be further reduced by approximately $157.2 million for waived management fees as such are received from Sprint. Aggregate amortization of the unfavorable lease liability in the Wireless segment, to be classified as rent expense, is expected to be $5.1 million.

Note 8.     Other Assets and Accrued Liabilities

Prepaid expenses and other, classified as current assets, included the following:
(in thousands)December 31,
2021
December 31,
2020
Deposit for FCC spectrum licenses$16,118 $— 
Prepaid maintenance expenses8,391 4,018 
Broadband contract acquisition costs2,502 2,308 
SERP investments801 — 
Other2,018 1,196 
Prepaid expenses and other$29,830 $7,522 

Deferred charges and other assets, classified as long-term assets, included the following:
(in thousands)December 31,
2021
December 31, 2020
Broadband contract acquisition costs$5,645 $5,050 
Prepaid expenses and other4,653 1,398 
Deferred charges and other assets$10,298 $6,448 

Accrued liabilities and other, classified as current liabilities, included the following:
(in thousands)December 31, 2021December 31, 2020
Interest rate swaps$— $4,048 
Accrued programming costs3,084 2,868 
Sales and property taxes payable1,065 1,072 
Restructuring accrual1,761 — 
Other current liabilities8,739 5,881 
Accrued liabilities and other$14,649 $13,869 


F-18

Table of Contents
Other liabilities, classified as long-term liabilities, included the following:
(in thousands)December 31,
2021
December 31, 2020
Noncurrent portion of deferred lease revenue$19,749 $18,687 
FCC spectrum license obligations3,807 3,845 
Noncurrent portion of financing leases1,614 1,492 
Other461 881 
Other liabilities$25,631 $24,905 
Restructuring activities
During 2021, in connection with the disposition of our Wireless segment, we implemented a restructuring plan whereby certain employees were notified of their pending dismissal under the workforce reduction program. The following table identifies severance activity that has occurred as a result of the plan:
(in thousands)Year Ended
December 31, 2021
Beginning Balance January 1, 2021$— 
Expense (1)3,862 
Payments (2)(2,101)
Ending Balance - December 31, 2021$1,761 

(1)For the year ended December 31, 2021, approximately $2.2 million of expense was recognized within discontinued operations and $1.7 million in continuing operations.
(2)For the year ended December 31, 2021, approximately $1.4 million of payments were attributable to discontinued operations and $0.7 million in continued operations.

Asset Retirement Obligations:

Our asset retirement obligations ("ARO") arise from certain of our leases and generally require us to remove our towers from ground leases. The Company's estimates related to ARO were revised during 2021 resulting in recognition of an additional obligation of $4.3 million. Below is a summary of our current and non-current asset retirement obligations:
Years Ended December 31,
(in thousands)202120202019
Balance at beginning of year$5,113 $6,152 $8,808 
Additional liabilities accrued4,334 262 593 
Changes to prior estimates(44)(1,633)(3,659)
Payments— — — 
Accretion expense421 332 410 
Balance at end of year$9,824 $5,113 $6,152 

Note 9. Leases

We adopted ASC 842 on January 1, 2019 using the modified retrospective method. We applied the package of practical expedients and, as a result, did not reassess prior conclusions regarding lease identification, lease classification and initial direct costs under the new standard. In those circumstances where the Company is the lessee, we elected to account for non-lease components associated with our leases (e.g., maintenance costs) and lease components as a single lease component for substantially all of our asset classes.

We lease 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 ROU asset.

F-19

Table of Contents
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. At December 31, 2021, our operating leases had a weighted average remaining lease term of twenty years and a weighted average discount rate of 4.4%. Our finance leases had a weighted average remaining lease term of fourteen years and a weighted average discount rate of 5.2%.

During 2021, we recognized $7.1 million of operating lease expense and $0.6 million of interest and depreciation expense on finance leases. Operating lease expense is presented in cost of service or selling, general and administrative expense based on the use of the relevant facility. Variable lease payments and short-term lease expense were both immaterial. We remitted $5.6 million of operating lease payments during 2021. We also obtained $11.1 million and $6.8 million of leased assets in exchange for new operating lease liabilities recognized during 2021 and 2020, respectively.

The following table summarizes the expected maturity of lease liabilities at December 31, 2021:
(in thousands)Operating LeasesFinance LeasesTotal
2022$5,546 $180 $5,726 
20235,159 182 5,341 
20244,815 184 4,999 
20254,636 186 4,822 
20264,150 159 4,309 
2027 and thereafter65,909 1,503 67,412 
Total lease payments90,215 2,394 92,609 
Less: Interest35,205 696 35,901 
Present value of lease liabilities$55,010 $1,698 $56,708 

We recognized $11.1 million of operating lease revenue during 2021 related to the cell site colocation space and dedicated fiber optic strands that we lease to our customers, which is included in service and other revenue in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Substantially all of our lease revenue relates to fixed lease payments.

Below is a summary of our contractual minimum rental receipts expected under the lease agreements in place at December 31, 2021:
(in thousands)Operating Leases
2022$14,460 
202312,947 
202412,083 
202511,134 
20268,198 
2027 and thereafter28,915 
Total$87,737 

Note 10. Debt

Our cash payments for interest were $10.4 million and $18.6 million during 2021 and 2020, respectively.

As discussed in Note 3,Discontinued Operations, upon consummation of the Transaction, the Company used approximately $681 million of the proceeds received from the sale to fully repay all outstanding principal amounts under, and terminate the Credit Agreement existing as of June 30, 2021 ("Prior Credit Agreement").

On July 1, 2021, the Company entered into a Credit Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with various financial institutions thereto (the “Lenders”) and CoBank, ACB, as administrative agent for the Lenders (in such capacity, the “Administrative Agent”). The Credit Agreement provides for 3 credit facilities (collectively, the “Facilities”), in an aggregate amount equal to $400 million: (i) a $100 million five-year revolving credit facility (the “Revolver”), (ii) a $150 million five-year delay draw
F-20

Table of Contents
amortizing term loan (the “Term Loan A-1”) and (iii) a $150 million seven-year delay draw amortizing term loan (the “Term Loan A-2” and, together with the Term Loan A-1, the “Term Loans”). The Credit Agreement includes a provision under which the Company may request that additional term loans be made to it in an amount not to exceed the sum of (1) the greater of (a) $75 million and (b) 100% of Consolidated EBIDTA (as defined in the Credit Agreement), calculated on a pro forma basis in accordance with the Credit Agreement, plus (2) an additional unlimited amount subject to a maximum Total Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement) of 4.00:1.00, calculated on a pro forma basis in accordance with the Credit Agreement, subject to the receipt of commitments from one or more lenders for any such additional term loans and other customary conditions.

The Company may use the proceeds from the Revolver and the Term Loans to finance capital expenditures, provide working capital, and for other general corporate purposes of the Company and its subsidiaries, including the payment of fees and expenses in connection with the foregoing. The Term Loans, when drawn upon, are to be repaid in quarterly principal installments commencing on September 30, 2023, with the unpaid balance of the Term Loans due at maturity, as set forth in the Credit Agreement. Interest payments on outstanding loans are required monthly, beginning in the period of the initial and any subsequent draws.

Rates for borrowing under the Credit Agreement are based, at the Company’s election, upon whether the borrowing is a LIBOR loan or a base rate loan. LIBOR loans will bear interest at an adjusted LIBOR rate (which shall be no less than 0.00%) plus an applicable margin ranging from 1.50% to 2.75% for the Term Loan A-1 and the Revolver and from 1.50% to 3.00% for the Term Loan A-2, depending on the Company’s Total Net Leverage Ratio. Base rate loans will bear interest at a base rate plus an applicable margin ranging from 0.50% to 1.75% for the Term Loan A-1 and the Revolver and from 0.50% to 2.00% for the Term Loan A-2, depending on the Company’s Total Net Leverage Ratio. In addition, under the terms of the Credit Agreement, the Company agrees to pay the Lenders a fee on undrawn portions of the Term Loans and Revolver from time to time. This fee rate is dependent on the Company’s Total Net Leverage Ratio and ranges from a rate per annum equal to 0.200% to 0.375%.

The Credit Agreement contains representations and warranties, and affirmative and negative financial covenants usual and customary for similar secured credit facilities, each of which are applicable to the Company and its subsidiaries, including covenants governing the ability of the Company and its subsidiaries, subject to negotiated exceptions, to incur additional indebtedness and additional liens on their assets, engage in mergers or acquisitions or dispose of assets, pay dividends or make other distributions, enter into transactions with affiliated persons, make investments or change the nature of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ businesses. The Company is also subject to certain financial covenants to be measured on a trailing twelve month basis on the last day of each calendar quarter. These covenants include:

maintaining a Total Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement) not greater than 4.25 to 1.00 (subject to customary increased leverage periods following certain qualifying acquisitions); and
maintaining a Debt Service Coverage Ratio (as defined in the Credit Agreement) not less than 2.00 to 1.00.

Indebtedness outstanding under any of the Facilities may be accelerated upon the occurrence of an Event of Default (as defined in the Credit Agreement). As of December 31, 2021, the Company had not drawn on the Term Loans or the Revolver and was in compliance with the financial covenants in its credit agreements.

The International Exchange (ICE) Benchmark Administration (the “IBA”) ceased the publication of one-week and two-month LIBOR on December 31, 2021 and expects to phase-out the remaining tenors (overnight, one-month, three-month, six-month and 12-month) on June 30, 2023. Our term loans and revolver identify LIBOR as a reference rate for tenors ceasing on June 30, 2023 and mature after 2023. Alternative reference rates that replace LIBOR may not yield the same or similar economic results over the terms of the financial instruments. The transition from LIBOR could result in us paying higher or lower interest rates on our current LIBOR-indexed Term Loans. Our Credit Agreement includes provisions that provide for the identification of a LIBOR replacement rate. Due to the uncertainty regarding the transition from LIBOR-indexed financial instruments and the manner in which an alternative reference rate will apply, we cannot yet reasonably estimate the expected financial impact of the LIBOR transition. Any changes to the reference rate will be agreed through an amendment to the Credit Agreement and are expected to reference the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, though the timing of such amendment and applicability to any future amounts owed under the Credit Agreement are not certain at this time.

Note 11. Derivatives and Hedging

TheAs discussed in Note 3,Discontinued Operations, upon consummation of the Transaction, the Company uses derivative financial instrumentsused approximately $2.6 million of the proceeds received from the sale to managefully satisfy its exposure to interest rate risk for its long-term variable-rate debt throughobligations under, and terminate, the interest rate swaps. The Company's interest rate swaps are all designated as cash flow hedges, and involve the receipt of variable-rate amountsAmounts reclassified from counterparties in exchange for the Company making fixed-rate payments over the life of the agreements without exchange of the underlying notional amount. The Company does not use derivative financial instruments for trading or

speculative purposes. Credit risk related to derivative financial instruments is considered minimal and is managed through the use of four counterparties with high credit standards and periodic settlements of positions.

The Company entered into a pay-fixed, receive-variable interest rate swap of $174.6 million of notional principal in September 2012. The outstanding notional amount of this cash flow hedge was $100.4 million and $117.9 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.  The outstanding notional amount decreases based upon scheduled principal payments on the 2012 debt.

In May 2016, the Company entered into a pay-fixed, receive-variable interest rate swap of $256.6 million of notional principal with three counterparties. The outstanding notional amount of this cash flow hedge was $283.6 million and $300.4 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.  The outstanding notional amount increases based upon draws made under a portion of the Company's Term Loan A-2 debt and as the 2012 interest rate swap's notional principal decreases; the outstanding notional amount decreases as the Company makes scheduled principal payments on the 2016 debt.

The Company is hedging approximately 50% of its outstanding debt through its use of interest rate swaps with outstanding notional amounts totaling $384.0 million and $418.3 million at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The effective portion of changes in the fair value of interest rate swaps designated and that qualify as cash flow hedges is recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income and is subsequently reclassified into earnings in the period that the hedged forecasted transaction affects earnings. The ineffective portion(loss) are presented as part of the change in fair valueincome from discontinued operations.
F-21

Table of the derivative is recognized directly in earnings through interest expense. No hedge ineffectiveness was recognized during any of the periods presented.


(in thousands) December 31,
2018
 December 31,
2017
Balance sheet location of derivative financial instruments:    
Prepaid expenses and other $4,930
 $2,411
Deferred charges and other assets, net 8,323
 10,776
Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments $13,253
 $13,187


The table below summarizes changes in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) by component:component, including the reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) into earnings following the swap termination:
(in thousands)(Losses) Gains on
Cash Flow
Hedges
Income Tax
(Expense)
Benefit
Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
(Loss) Income, net of taxes
Balance as of December 31, 2020$(4,048)$(658)$(4,706)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications1,447 (361)1,086 
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) to interest expense2,601 1,019 3,620 
Net current period other comprehensive (loss) income4,048 658 4,706 
Balance as of December 31, 2021$— $— $— 

Note 12. Income Taxes
(in thousands)Gains (Losses) on
Cash Flow
Hedges
 Income Tax
(Expense)
Benefit
 Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income (Loss), net of taxes
Balance as of December 31, 2017$13,187
 $(4,957) $8,230
Net change in unrealized gain (loss)3,384
 (804) 2,580
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) to interest expense(3,318) 788
 (2,530)
Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)66
 (16) 50
Balance as of December 31, 2018$13,253
 $(4,973) $8,280


The Company files a consolidated U.S. federal income tax return and various state income tax returns. The provision for the federal and state income taxes attributable to income (loss) consists of the following components:
Note 12.Other Assets and Accrued Liabilities

Years Ended December 31,
(in thousands)202120202019
Current (benefit) expense
Federal taxes$(21,392)$(13,748)$(16,393)
State taxes(2,565)(2,148)(282)
Total current provision(23,957)(15,896)(16,675)
Deferred expense (benefit)
Federal taxes25,518 13,325 16,286 
State taxes(3,255)1,581 395 
Total deferred provision22,263 14,906 16,681 
Income tax (benefit) expense$(1,694)$(990)$
Effective tax rate(27.2)%(168.9)%0.3 %
Prepaid expenses
A reconciliation of income tax expense (benefit) determined by applying the federal and other, classifiedstate tax rates to income before income taxes is as currentfollows:
 Years Ended December 31,
(in thousands)202120202019
Expected tax expense at federal statutory$1,310 $24 $371 
State income taxes, net of federal tax effect438 54 15 
Revaluation of deferred tax liabilities(5,206)— — 
Stranded tax effects reclassified from other comprehensive income1,620 — — 
Excess tax benefit from share based compensation and other expense, net144 (1,068)(380)
Income tax (benefit) expense$(1,694)$(990)$

The effective tax rate in 2021 decreased from 2020, primarily as a result of recognition of non-cash deferred tax benefits triggered by the disposition of Wireless assets included the following:

(in thousands) December 31,
2018
 December 31,
2017
Prepaid rent $11,245
 $10,519
Prepaid maintenance expenses 3,981
 3,062
Interest rate swaps 4,930
 2,411
Deferred contract costs 37,957
 
Other 2,049
 1,119
Prepaid expenses and other $60,162
 $17,111

Deferred contract costs and other include amounts reimbursed to Sprint for commissions and device costs, and commissions and installation costsoperations, (see Note 3 – Discontinued Operations), which drove a reduction in the Company’s Cablefuture estimated tax rate, as apportionable income and Wireline segments. Theexpenses for higher tax rate jurisdictions was reduced, resulting in a revaluation of deferred contract costs increased due totax liabilities during the adoption of Topic 606. Refer to Note 3, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, for additional information.year ended December 31, 2021.

Accrued liabilities and other, classified as current liabilities, included the following:
(in thousands) December 31, 2018 December 31, 2017
Sales and property taxes payable $4,281
 $3,872
Severance 
 1,028
Asset retirement obligations 582
 492
Accrued programming costs 2,886
 2,805
Other current liabilities 6,814
 5,717
Accrued liabilities and other $14,563
 $13,914


The Company's asset retirement obligations (ARO) are includednet cash payments for income taxes were $459.1 million in the balance sheet caption "Asset retirement obligations"year ended December 31, 2021, which included $434.3 million of payments related to the taxable gain from the sale of the Wireless business. The Company's cash payments for income taxes were $11.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2020.
F-22


Deferred tax assets and "Accrued liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates that are expected to apply in the year of reversal or settlement and other". arise from temporary differences between the US GAAP and tax bases of the following assets and liabilities:
(in thousands)December 31,
2021
December 31,
2020
Deferred tax assets:
Leases$15,483 $123,129 
Asset retirement obligations2,581 10,403 
Net operating loss carry-forwards5,878 7,723 
Pension liabilities2,148 3,868 
Accruals and stock based compensation2,572 3,093 
Other6,300 5,002 
Total gross deferred tax assets34,962 153,218 
Less valuation allowance— — 
Net deferred tax assets34,962 153,218 
Deferred tax liabilities:
Property, plant and equipment92,449 127,602 
Leases15,410 126,458 
Intangible assets10,710 25,722 
Prepaid assets and other2,407 22,120 
Total gross deferred tax liabilities120,976 301,902 
Net deferred tax liabilities$86,014 $148,684 

In assessing the ability to realize deferred tax assets, management 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. Management 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 recordshas a deferred tax asset of $5.9 million related to federal and various state net operating losses. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had approximately $27.8 million of federal net operating losses expiring through 2027. The Company also had approximately $0.3 million of state net operating losses expiring through 2036.

As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had no unrecognized tax benefits. 

The Company is not currently subject to state or federal income tax audits as of December 31, 2021. The Company's returns are generally open to examination from 2018 forward and the net operating losses acquired from nTelos are open to examination from 2002 forward.

Note 13. Stock Compensation, Earnings per Share, and Dividends

The Company's 2014 Stock Incentive Plan ("the Plan") allows for the grant of equity based incentive compensation to all employees. The Plan authorizes grants of up to an additional 3,000,000 shares over a ten-year period beginning in 2014. Under the Plan, grants may take the form of stock awards, awards of options to acquire stock, stock appreciation rights, and other forms of equity based compensation; both options to acquire stock and stock awards were granted. 

The Company granted approximately 200 thousand restricted stock units (RSUs) to employees and directors during 2021 at an average market price of $28.99. The Company also granted, approximately 59 thousand performance-based Relative Total Shareholder Return (“RTSR”) awards to employees at an average value of $34.05 during 2020.

F-23

On July 2, 2021, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a special dividend of $18.75 per share on the issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock (the “Special Dividend”). On August 4, 2021, in accordance with the Plan, the Company's Board of Directors adopted a resolution to modify the outstanding equity awards to offset the grantees’ loss in intrinsic value caused by the disposition of wireless and the decline in the Company's share price following the Special Dividend. Approximately 81 thousand awards were issued, split between RSUs and RTSRs, as a result of this modification. No other terms or conditions of the outstanding equity awards were modified, no incremental expense was required to be recognized, and there was no significant impact to dilutive securities.

The Company's RSUs generally have service requirements only or performance and service requirements with vesting periods ranging from one year for directors to four years for employees. RTSR awards generally vest over an approximate three year period. The performance factor applied to the RTSR awards is based upon the Company's stock performance compared to a group of peer companies. The actual number of shares to be issued can range from 0% to 150% of the awards granted.

The cost of employee services received in exchange for share-based awards classified as equity is measured using the estimated fair value of an asset retirement obligationthe 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.

Stock-based compensation expense was as a liabilityfollows:
Years Ended December 31,
(in thousands)202120202019
Stock compensation expense$3,552 $6,227 $3,732 
Capitalized stock compensation144 320 365 
Stock compensation expense, net$3,408 $5,907 $3,367 

As of December 31, 2021, there was $5.9 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested incentive awards that are expected to be recognized over weighted average period of 1.8 years.

We utilize the treasury stock method to calculate the impact on diluted earnings per share that potentially dilutive stock-based compensation awards have. The following table indicates the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share:
Years Ended December 31,
(in thousands, except per share amounts)202120202019
Calculation of net income per share:
Income from continuing operations$7,929 $1,576 $1,932 
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax$990,902 $124,097 $53,568 
Net income$998,831 $125,673 $55,500 
Basic weighted average shares outstanding50,026 49,901 49,811 
Basic net income per share - continuing operations$0.16 $0.03 $0.04 
Basic net income per share - discontinued operations$19.81 $2.49 $1.07 
Basic net income per share$19.97 $2.52 $1.11 
Effect of stock-based compensation awards outstanding:
Basic weighted average shares outstanding50,026 49,901 49,811 
Effect from dilutive shares and options outstanding123 123 290 
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding50,149 50,024 50,101 
Diluted net income per share - continuing operations$0.16 $0.03 $0.04 
Diluted net income per share - discontinued operations$19.76 $2.48 $1.07 
Diluted net income per share$19.92 $2.51 $1.11 
There were approximately 259 thousand anti-dilutive awards outstanding during 2021 and fewer than 110 thousand anti-dilutive awards outstanding during 2020 and 2019.

The Special Dividend was paid on August 2, 2021. The total payout to Shentel shareholders, including amounts reinvested in the period in which it incurs a legal obligation associated withCompany’s stock via the retirement and removal of leasehold improvements or equipment.  The Company also records a corresponding asset, which is depreciated over the lease term.  SubsequentCompany’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan, was approximately $937 million. In addition to the initial measurementSpecial Dividend, on October 27, 2021, the Company Board of Directors declared the annual dividend of $0.07 per share on the
F-24

issued and outstanding shares of the asset retirement obligation, the obligation is adjusted at the end of each periodCompany's common stock (the "Annual Dividend"). The Annual Dividend was paid on December 1, 2021. The total payout to reflect the passage of time and changesShentel shareholders, including amounts reinvested in the estimated future cash flows underlying the obligation.  The terms associated with its operating leases, and applicable zoning ordinances of certain jurisdictions, defineCompany’s stock via the Company’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan, was approximately $3 million.

Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies

We are committed to make payments to satisfy our lease liabilities. The scheduled payments under those obligations which are estimatedsummarized in Note 9, Leases. We also have outstanding unconditional purchase commitments to procure marketing services and vary based on the size of the towers.
Changes in the liabilityIT software licenses through 2026 and commitments for asset retirement obligations forlicenses to access Educational Broadband Service (“EBS”) spectrum channels through 2039. For the years ended December 31, 2018, 20172021, 2020 and 20162019 we paid $3.4 million, $1.4 million and $0.5 million, respectively, for the marketing services and IT software license purchase commitments. For each of the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, we paid approximately $0.1 million for access to certain EBS spectrum channels. The Company is obligated to make the following future minimum payments under the non-cancelable terms of these commitments as of December 31, 2021:

(in thousands)Purchase Commitments
2022$3,658 
20232,410 
20241,385 
2025840 
2026190 
2027 and thereafter109 
Total$8,592 

The Company is subject to claims and legal actions that may arise in the ordinary course of business. The Company does not believe that any of these pending claims or legal actions are summarized below:either probable or reasonably possible of a material loss.

 Years Ended December 31,
(in thousands)2018 2017 2016
Balance at beginning of year$21,703
 $21,507
 $7,266
Liabilities acquired in acquisition
 
 14,056
Additional liabilities accrued3,357
 2,404
 157
Changes to prior estimates3,504
 (1,695) 
Payments(443) (1,296) (609)
Accretion expense1,045
 783
 637
Balance at end of year$29,166
 $21,703
 $21,507

Note 13.  Commitments and Contingencies15. Segment Reporting


The Company leases land, buildingsdivestiture of our Wireless operations on July 1, 2021 represented a strategic shift in the Company’s business which therefore qualified the segment as a discontinued operation. As a result, for all periods presented, the operating results and tower space under various non-cancelable agreements, which expire betweencash flows related to the years 2019Wireless segment were reflected as a discontinued operation in our Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income and 2043 and require various minimum annual rental payments.  These leases typically include renewal options and escalation clauses. In general, tower leases have five or ten year initial termsthe Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The tables below reflect the results of operations of the Company's reportable segments in continuing operations, consistent with four renewal terms of five years each. The other leases generally contain certain renewal optionsinternal reporting used by the Company. Intercompany revenue is primarily derived from services provided to the discontinued operation, for periods ranging from fiveprior to twenty years.the divestiture.


Future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable operating leases, including renewals that are reasonably assured at the inception
F-25

Table of Contents
Year ended December 31, 2021:
(in thousands)BroadbandTowerCorporate & EliminationsConsolidated
External revenue
Residential & SMB$177,530 $— $— $177,530 
Commercial Fiber30,842 — — 30,842 
RLEC & Other15,249 — — 15,249 
Tower lease— 12,393 — 12,393 
Service revenue and other223,621 12,393 — 236,014 
Revenue for service provided to the discontinued Wireless operations4,459 5,311 (545)9,225 
Total revenue228,080 17,704 (545)245,239 
Operating expenses
Cost of services97,283 5,438 (422)102,299 
Selling, general and administrative47,840 1,197 33,414 82,451 
Restructuring expense202 — 1,525 1,727 
Impairment expense5,986 — — 5,986 
Depreciation and amortization47,937 2,053 5,216 55,206 
Total operating expenses199,248 8,688 39,733 247,669 
Operating income (loss)$28,832 $9,016 $(40,278)$(2,430)
Capital expenditures$156,131 $977 $2,993 $160,101 

Year ended December 31, 2020:
(in thousands)BroadbandTowerCorporate & EliminationsConsolidated
External revenue
Residential & SMB$154,956 $— $— $154,956 
Commercial Fiber24,431 — — 24,431 
RLEC & Other15,971 — — 15,971 
Tower lease— 7,402 — 7,402 
Service revenue and other195,358 7,402 — 202,760 
Revenue for service provided to the discontinued Wireless operations8,989 9,653 (627)18,015 
Total revenue204,347 17,055 (627)220,775 
Operating expenses
Cost of services84,893 4,896 (132)89,657 
Selling, general and administrative39,472 1,430 44,114 85,016 
Depreciation and amortization41,076 1,906 5,721 48,703 
Total operating expenses165,441 8,232 49,703 223,376 
Operating income (loss)$38,906 $8,823 $(50,330)$(2,601)
Capital expenditures$117,246 $2,001 $1,203 $120,450 


F-26

Table of Contents
Year ended December 31, 2019:
(in thousands)BroadbandTowerCorporate & EliminationsConsolidated
External revenue
Residential & SMB$142,290 $— $— $142,290 
Commercial Fiber23,004 — — 23,004 
RLEC & Other18,257 — — 18,257 
Tower lease— 6,965 — 6,965 
Service revenue and other183,551 6,965 — 190,516 
Revenue for service provided to the discontinued Wireless operations10,392 6,020 (66)16,346 
Total revenue193,943 12,985 (66)206,862 
Operating expenses
Cost of services79,858 3,777 (63)83,572 
Selling, general and administrative33,545 937 43,364 77,846 
Depreciation and amortization38,566 1,976 6,244 46,786 
Total operating expenses151,969 6,690 49,545 208,204 
Operating income (loss)$41,974 $6,295 $(49,611)$(1,342)
Capital expenditures$60,627 $921 $5,500 $67,048 

A reconciliation of the lease, with initial variable lease terms in excesstotal of one year as of December 31, 2018, arethe reportable segments’ operating income to consolidated income before taxes is as follows:

 Years Ended December 31,
(in thousands)202120202019
Total consolidated operating loss$(2,430)$(2,601)$(1,342)
Other income, net8,665 3,187 3,280 
Income from continuing operations before income taxes$6,235 $586 $1,938 
Year Ending Amount
(in thousands)  
2019 $55,050
2020 53,100
2021 51,323
2022 49,573
2023 48,000
2024 and after 168,498
  $425,544


The Company’s CODM does not currently review total rent expense under operating leases was $59.6 million, $53.1 million,assets by segment since the assets are centrally managed and $43.8 millionsome of the assets are shared by the segments, accordingly total assets by segment are not applicable.
F-27

Table of Contents

Note 16. Quarterly Results (unaudited)

The following table reflects selected quarterly results for the Company. Amounts were adjusted from their previous presentation as a result of the error correction discussed in Note 1.

Three Months Ended
(in thousands, except per share data)March 31, 2021June 30, 2021September 30, 2021December 31, 2021
Revenue$59,691 $60,700 $62,244 $62,604 
Operating income (loss)2,230 2,390 851 (7,901)
Income (loss) from continuing operations2,945 1,626 6,495 (3,137)
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax48,472 51,566 (406)(4,965)
Gain on the sale of discontinued operations, net of tax— — 886,732 9,503 
Net income51,417 53,192 892,821 1,401 
Basic - Income (loss) from continuing operations$0.06 $0.03 $0.13 $(0.06)
Basic - Income from discontinued operations, net of tax$0.97 $1.04 $17.73 $0.09 
Basic net income per share$1.03 $1.07 $17.86 $0.03 
Diluted - Income (loss) from continuing operations$0.06 $0.03 $0.13 $(0.06)
Diluted - Income from discontinued operations, net of tax$0.97 $1.03 $17.68 $0.09 
Diluted net income per share$1.03 $1.06 $17.81 $0.03 

Three Months Ended
(in thousands except per share data)March 31, 2020June 30, 2020September 30, 2020December 31, 2020
Revenue$53,134 $54,336 $55,173 $58,132 
Operating income (loss)(1,648)(2,361)(121)1,529 
Income (loss) from continuing operations(55)(893)985 1,539 
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax13,129 29,784 33,509 47,675 
Net income13,074 28,891 34,494 49,214 
Basic - Income (loss) from continuing operations$— $(0.02)$0.02 $0.03 
Basic - Income from discontinued operations, net of tax$0.26 $0.60 $0.67 $0.96 
Basic net income per share$0.26 $0.58 $0.69 $0.99 
Diluted - Income (loss) from continuing operations$— $(0.02)$0.02 $0.03 
Diluted - Income from discontinued operations, net of tax$0.26 $0.60 $0.67 $0.95 
Diluted net income per share$0.26 $0.58 $0.69 $0.98 

F-28

Table of Contents

Schedule II
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

Changes in the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts for accounts receivable for the years ended December 31, 2018, 20172021, 2020 and 2016, respectively. Certain operating leases contain rent escalation clauses, which2019 are recorded on a straight-line basis over the lease term which includes renewals that are reasonably assured at lease inception, with the difference between the rent paid and the straight-line rent recorded as a deferred rent liability. Lease incentives received from landlords are recorded as deferred rent liabilities and are amortized on a straight-line basis over the lease term as a reduction to rent expense.summarized below:

(in thousands)Balance at Beginning of YearRecoveries added to allowanceBad debt expenseWrite-offsBalance at End of Year
Year Ended December 31, 2021
Allowance for doubtful accounts$614 $530 $1,028 $(1,820)$352 
Year Ended December 31, 2020
Allowance for doubtful accounts$533 $758 $1,220 $(1,897)$614 
Year Ended December 31, 2019
Allowance for doubtful accounts$534 $649 $1,743 $(2,393)$533 
As lessor, the Company has leased buildings, tower space and telecommunications equipment to other entities under various non-cancelable agreements, which require various minimum annual payments. 

The total minimum rental receipts under lease agreements at December 31, 2018 are as follows:
F-29
Year Ending Amount
(in thousands)  
2019 $7,067
2020 6,109
2021 4,042
2022 2,914
2023 1,345
2024 and after 4,400
  $25,877

Table of Contents

ITEM 16.FORM 10-K SUMMARY
Legal Proceedings

None
From time to time the
Exhibits Index
Exhibit
Number
Exhibit Description
2.1
3.1
3.2
4.1
10.1
10.2
10.3
10.4
10.5
10.6
10.7
10.8
10.9
10.10
F-30

10.11
10.12
10.13
10.14
*21
*23.1
*31.1
*31.2
*31.3
**32
(101)Formatted in XBRL (Extensible Business Reporting Language)

101.INSXBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the interactive data filing because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document
101.SCHXBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CALXBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEFXBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LABXBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PREXBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
104Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

*    Filed herewith
**    This certification is involved in various litigation matters arising outdeemed not filed for purposes of Section 18 of the normal courseSecurities Exchange Act of business. The Company consults with legal counsel1934, as amended (Exchange Act), or otherwise subject to the liability of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act), or the Exchange Act.


Table of Contents
SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on those issues relatedits behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

SHENANDOAH TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY
February 28, 2022/S/ CHRISTOPHER E. FRENCH
Christopher E. French, President & Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)

Pursuant to litigationthe requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and seeks input from other experts and advisers with respect to such matters. Estimating the probable losses or a range of probable losses resulting from litigation, government actions and other legal proceedings is inherently difficult and requires an extensive degree of judgment, particularly where the matters involve indeterminate claims for monetary damages, may involve discretionary amounts, present novel legal theories, are in the early stages of the proceedings, or are subject to appeal. Whether any losses, damages or remedies ultimately resulting from such matters could reasonably have a material effectcapacities and on the Company's business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows will depend on a number of variables, including, for example, the timing and amount of such losses or damages (if any) and the structure and type of any such remedies. The Company's management does not presently expect any litigation matters to have a material adverse impact on the consolidated financial statements of the Company. Legal fees are expensed as incurred.dates indicated.

/s/CHRISTOPHER E. FRENCHPresident & Chief Executive Officer,
February 28, 2022Director (Principal Executive Officer)
Christopher E. French
/s/JAMES J. VOLKSenior Vice President – Chief Financial Officer
February 28, 2022(Principal Financial Officer)
James J. Volk
/s/DENNIS A. ROMPSVice President - Chief Accounting Officer
February 28, 2022(Principal Accounting Officer)
Dennis A. Romps
/s/THOMAS A. BECKETTDirector
February 28, 2022
Thomas A. Beckett
/s/TRACY FITZSIMMONSDirector
February 28, 2022
Tracy Fitzsimmons
/s/JOHN W. FLORADirector
February 28, 2022
John W. Flora
/s/ RICHARD L. KOONTZ, JR.Director
February 28, 2022
Richard L. Koontz, Jr.
/s/DALE S. LAMDirector
February 28, 2022
Dale S. Lam
/s/KENNETH L. QUAGLIODirector
February 28, 2022
Kenneth L. Quaglio
/s/LEIGH ANN SCHULTZDirector
February 28, 2022
Leigh Ann Schultz
/s/VICTOR C. BARNESDirector
February 28, 2022
Victor C. Barnes

Note 14.  Long-Term Debt

Total debt consists of the following:
F-32
(in thousands)December 31,
2018
 December 31,
2017
Term loan A-1287,699
 436,500
Term loan A-2497,537
 400,000
 785,236
 836,500
Less: unamortized loan fees14,994
 14,542
Total debt, net of unamortized loan fees$770,242
 $821,958
    
Current maturities of long-term debt, net of current unamortized loan fees$20,618
 $64,397
Long-term debt, less current maturities, net of unamortized loan fees$749,624
 $757,561

On December 18, 2015, the Company entered into a Credit Agreement (as amended, the “2016 credit agreement”) with various banks and other financial institutions party thereto and CoBank, ACB, as administrative agent for the lenders, providing for three facilities: (i) a five-year revolving credit facility of up to $75 million; (ii) a five-year term loan facility of up to $485 million (Term Loan A-1”); and (iii) a seven-year term loan facility of up to $400 million (“Term Loan A-2”), (collectively our "Credit Facility").

In connection with the closing of the nTelos acquisition, the Company borrowed (i) $485 million under Term Loan A-1 and (ii) $325 million under Term Loan A-2, which amounts were used to, among other things, fund the payment of the nTelos merger consideration, to refinance, in full, all indebtedness under the Company’s existing credit agreement, to repay existing long-term indebtedness of nTelos and to pay fees and expenses in connection with the foregoing.  In connection with the consummation of the nTelos acquisition, nTelos and its subsidiaries became guarantors and pledged their assets as security for the obligations under the 2016 credit agreement.  The 2016 credit agreement also included $75 million available under the Term Loan A-2 as a delayed draw term loan, and as of December 2016, the Company drew $50 million under this portion of the agreement and in January 2017 the Company drew the remaining $25 million. Additionally, the 2016 credit agreement included a $75 million Revolver Facility and permitted the Company to enter into one or more Incremental Term Loan Facilities not to exceed $150 million in the aggregate.

During 2018, the 2016 credit agreement was amended (the "amended 2016 credit agreement") to: (i) shift $108.8 million in principal from Term Loan A-1 to Term Loan A-2; (ii) reduce near term principal payments; (iii) extend the maturity of Term Loan A-1 to 2023, Term Loan A-2 to 2025 and allow access to the Revolver through 2023; and (iv) reduce the applicable base interest rate by 75 basis points, (collectively our "Amended Credit Facility").

At December 31, 2018, the full $75 million was available under the Revolver Facility and the Company had not entered into any Incremental Loan Facilities. The debt issuance costs associated with the Revolver Facility are included in deferred charges and other assets, net on the consolidated balance sheets, and are amortized on a straight-line basis over the life of the Revolver Facility.

As of December 31, 2018, the Company’s indebtedness totaled approximately $770.2 million, net of unamortized loan fees of $15.0 million, with an annualized overall weighted average interest rate of approximately 3.97%.  As of December 31, 2018, the Term Loan A-1 bears interest at one-month LIBOR plus a margin of 1.75%, while the Term Loan A-2 bears interest at one-month LIBOR plus a margin of 2.00%.  LIBOR resets monthly.

The amended Term Loan A-1 requires quarterly principal repayments of $3.6 million, which began on December 31, 2018 through September 30, 2019, increasing to $7.3 million quarterly from December 31, 2019 through September 30, 2022; then increasing to $10.9 million quarterly from December 31, 2022 through September 30, 2023, with the remaining balance due November 8, 2023.  The amended Term Loan A-2 requires quarterly principal repayments of $1.2 million which began on December 31, 2018 through September 30, 2025, with the remaining balance due November 8, 2025.

The 2016 credit agreement required the Company to enter into one or more hedge agreements to manage its exposure to interest rate movements.  The amended 2016 credit agreement does not include this requirement; however, the Company made no changes to its existing pay-fixed, receive-variable swaps that were already in place.  The Company will receive one month LIBOR and pay a fixed rate of 1.16%, in addition to the 2.75% initial spread on Term Loan A-1 and the 3.00% initial spread on Term Loan A-2.


The amended 2016 credit agreement contains affirmative and negative covenants customary to secured credit facilities, including covenants restricting the ability of the Company and its subsidiaries, subject to negotiated exceptions, to incur additional indebtedness and additional liens on their assets, engage in mergers or acquisitions or dispose of assets, pay dividends or make other distributions, voluntarily prepay other indebtedness, enter into transactions with affiliated persons, make investments, and change the nature of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ businesses. In aggregate, dividends paid, distributions and redemptions of capital stock made cannot exceed the sum of $25 million plus 60% of the Company's consolidated net income (excluding non-cash extraordinary items such as write-downs or write-ups of assets) from January 1, 2016 to the date of declaration of such dividends, distributions or redemptions.

Indebtedness outstanding under any of the facilities may be accelerated by an Event of Default, as defined in the amended 2016 credit agreement.

The Amended Credit Facility is secured by a pledge by the Company of its stock and membership interests in its subsidiaries, a guarantee by the Company’s subsidiaries other than Shenandoah Telephone Company, and a security interest in substantially all of the assets of the Company and the guarantors.

The Company is subject to certain financial covenants to be measured on a trailing twelve month basis each calendar quarter unless otherwise specified.  These covenants include:

a limitation on the Company’s total leverage ratio, defined as indebtedness divided by earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, of less than or equal to 3.50 to 1.00 from December 31, 2018 through December 31, 2019, then 3.25 to 1.00 through December 31, 2021, and 3.00 to 1.00 thereafter;
a minimum debt service coverage ratio, defined as EBITDA minus certain cash taxes divided by the sum of all scheduled principal payments on the Term Loans and other indebtedness plus cash interest expense, greater than or equal to 2.00 to 1.00;
the Company must maintain a minimum liquidity balance, defined as availability under the Revolver Facility plus unrestricted cash and cash equivalents on deposit in a deposit account for which a control agreement has been delivered to the administrative agent under the 2016 credit agreement, of greater than $25 million at all times.

As shown below, as of December 31, 2018, the Company was in compliance with the financial covenants in its credit agreements.
 Actual Covenant Requirement
Total leverage ratio2.54
 3.50 or Lower
Debt service coverage ratio3.63
 2.00 or Higher
Minimum liquidity balance (in millions)$159.0
 $25.0 or Higher

Future maturities of long-term debt principal are as follows:
Year Ending Amount
(in thousands)  
2019 $23,197
2020 34,122
2021 34,122
2022 37,764
2023 183,434
2024 and after 472,597
Total $785,236

The Company has no fixed-rate debt instruments as of December 31, 2018.  The estimated fair value of the variable-rate debt approximates its carrying value due to its floating interest rate structure.

The Company receives patronage credits from CoBank and certain of its affiliated Farm Credit institutions, which are not reflected in the stated rates shown above.  Patronage credits are a distribution of profits of CoBank as approved by its Board of Directors.  During the first quarter of the year, the Company receives patronage credits on its average outstanding CoBank debt balance during the prior fiscal year. The Company accrued $2.8 million in non-operating income in the year ended December 31, 2018, in anticipation of the early 2019 distribution of the credits by CoBank.  Patronage credits have historically been paid in a mix of cash and shares of CoBank stock.  The 2018 payout mix was 75% cash and 25% shares. CoBank also provided a one-time cash

distribution of $0.2 million in September 2018 in an effort to share the benefits of federal tax reform legislation with its eligible customer-owners.

Note 15.  Related Party Transactions

ValleyNet, an equity method investee of the Company, resells capacity on the Company’s fiber network under an operating lease agreement.  Additionally, the Company's Wireless operations leases capacity through ValleyNet.
The following tables summarize the historical transactions that occurred with ValleyNet:
 Years Ended December 31,
(in thousands)2018 2017 2016
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income     
Facility lease revenue$1,677
 $2,201
 $2,384
Cost of goods and services3,362
 3,673
 3,067
      
(in thousands)December 31,
2018
 December 31,
2017
  
Consolidated Balance Sheet     
Account receivable related to ValleyNet$253
 $180
  
Accounts payable related to ValleyNet173
 303
  

Note 16.  Income Taxes

On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “2017 Tax Act”) was enacted, substantially changing the U.S. tax system. The 2017 Tax Act includes a number of changes to existing U.S. tax laws that impact the Company, most notably a reduction of the U.S. corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017. The 2017 Tax Act also provides immediate expensing for certain qualified assets acquired and placed into service after September 27, 2017 as well as prospective changes beginning in 2018, including acceleration of tax revenue recognition, additional limitations on deductibility of executive compensation and limitations on the deductibility of interest.

On December 22, 2017, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 (SAB 118) to address the application of U.S. GAAP in situations when a registrant does not have the necessary information available, prepared, or analyzed in reasonable detail to complete the accounting for certain income tax effects of the 2017 Tax Act. The Company recognized a provisional benefit on the income tax effects of the 2017 Tax Act in its 2017 financial statements in accordance with SAB No. 118.

The Company measures deferred tax assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates that will apply in the years in which the temporary differences are expected to be recovered or paid. Accordingly, the Company's deferred tax assets and liabilities were remeasured to reflect the reduction in the U.S. corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, resulting in a $53.4 million income tax benefit for the year ended December 31, 2017 and a corresponding $53.4 million decrease in net deferred tax liabilities as of December 31, 2017. The Company completed the accounting for the effects of the 2017 Tax Act during the one-year measurement period prescribed by SAB No. 118. As of December 31, 2018, the Company adjusted the provisional amounts recorded at December 31, 2017 by recording an additional $0.8 million of income tax benefit and a corresponding $0.8 million decrease in net deferred tax liabilities upon completing the analysis of the 2017 Tax Act and the filing of the 2017 federal income tax return.

Total income taxes were as follows:
 Years Ended December 31,
(in thousands)2018 2017 2016
Income tax (benefit) expense$15,517
 $(53,133) $2,840
Other comprehensive income for changes in cash flow hedge16
 522
 4,162
 $15,533
 $(52,611) $7,002

The Company and its subsidiaries file income tax returns in several jurisdictions.  The provision for the federal and state income taxes attributable to income (loss) consists of the following components:

 Years Ended December 31,
(in thousands)2018 2017 2016
Current expense     
Federal taxes$2,875
 $1,552
 $44,779
State taxes6,434
 (630) 10,936
Total current provision9,309
 922
 55,715
Deferred expense (benefit)     
Federal taxes6,708
 (52,886) (47,056)
State taxes(500) (1,169) (5,819)
Total deferred provision6,208
 (54,055) (52,875)
Income tax expense (benefit)$15,517
 $(53,133) $2,840
Effective tax rate25.0% (400.8)% 146.0%

A reconciliation of income taxes determined by applying the federal and state tax rates to income (loss) is as follows:
 Years Ended December 31,
(in thousands)2018 2017 2016
Computed "expected" tax expense$13,044
 $4,640
 $681
State income taxes, net of federal tax effect4,748
 (1,129) 6
Changes in state DTL for mergers
 
 3,320
Excess share based compensation(1,254) (3,314) (1,709)
Nondeductible merger expenses
 
 801
Revaluation of U.S. deferred income taxes(760) (53,449) 
Other, net(261) 119
 (259)
Income tax expense (benefit)$15,517
 $(53,133) $2,840

The effective tax rate increased in 2018 primarily due to the recognition of a one-time non-cash tax benefit of $53.4 million in 2017 related to the revaluation of deferred tax assets and liabilities as a result of the 2017 Tax Act.

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and tax purposes. Net deferred tax assets and liabilities are classified as non-current in the consolidated balance sheets.

Net deferred tax assets and liabilities consist of the following temporary differences:

(in thousands)December 31,
2018
 December 31,
2017
Deferred tax assets:   
Deferred revenue$
 $3,907
Net operating loss carry-forwards12,612
 14,983
Accruals and reserves6,545
 5,189
Pension benefits2,873
 3,556
Asset retirement obligations7,797
 4,608
Total gross deferred tax assets29,827
 32,243
Less valuation allowance(862) (862)
Net deferred tax assets28,965
 31,381
    
Deferred tax liabilities:   
Deferred revenue19,554
 
Plant-in-service99,666
 89,494
Intangible assets32,963
 37,682
Interest rate swaps3,339
 3,511
Other, net896
 1,573
Total gross deferred tax liabilities156,418
 132,260
Net deferred tax liabilities$127,453
 $100,879

In assessing the ability to realize deferred tax assets, management 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.  Management 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 and projections for future taxable income over the periods for which the deferred tax assets are deductible, the Company believes it more likely than not that the net deferred tax assets will be realized with the exception of certain state net operating losses in jurisdictions where the Company no longer operates.  The Company has a deferred tax asset of $12.6 million related to federal and various state net operating losses, of which $0.9 million is associated with a valuation allowance. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had approximately $54.4 million of federal net operating losses expiring through 2035. The Company also had approximately $39.9 million of state net operating losses expiring through 2036.

As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company had no unrecognized tax benefits.  It is the Company’s policy to record interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in selling, general, and administrative expenses.

The Company files U.S. federal income tax returns and various state and local income tax returns.  The Company is not currently subject to state or federal income tax audits as of December 31, 2018. The Company's returns are generally open to examination from 2015 forward and the net operating losses acquired in the acquisition of nTelos are open to examination from 2002 forward.

Note 17.  Segment Reporting

Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker ("CODM").  The Company's reportable segments, which the Company operates and manages as strategic business units that are organized according to major product and service offerings, include: Wireless, Cable, Wireline and Other. A general description of the products and services offered and the customers served by each of these segments is as follows:

Wireless provides digital wireless service as a Sprint PCS Affiliate to a portion of a multi-state area covering large portions of central and western Virginia, south-central Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and portions of Maryland, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Ohio.  In these areas, we are the exclusive provider of Sprint-branded wireless mobility communications network products and services on the 800 MHz, 1900 MHz and 2.5 GHz spectrum bands.  Wireless also owns 208 cell site towers built on leased and owned land, and leases space on these towers to both affiliates and non-affiliated third party wireless service providers.

Cable provides video, broadband and voice services in franchise areas in portions of Virginia, West Virginia and western Maryland, and leases fiber optic facilities throughout its service area. It does not include video, broadband and voice services provided to customers in Shenandoah County, Virginia.
Wireline provides regulated and unregulated voice services, internet broadband, long distance access services, and leases fiber optic facilities throughout portions of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Other operations are represented by Shenandoah Telecommunications Company, the parent holding company that provides investing and management services to its subsidiaries.

Year ended December 31, 2018: 
(in thousands)Wireless Cable Wireline Other Eliminations Consolidated
External revenue           
Service revenue$380,818
 $114,917
 $21,521
 
 
 $517,256
Equipment revenue67,510
 695
 193
 
 
 68,398
Other9,311
 8,585
 27,304
 
 
 45,200
Total external revenue457,639
 124,197
 49,018
 
 
 630,854
Internal revenue5,016
 4,706
 28,124
 
 (37,846) 
Total operating revenue462,655
 128,903
 77,142
 
 (37,846) 630,854
Operating expenses           
Cost of services131,166
 59,935
 38,056
 
 (35,135) 194,022
Cost of goods sold63,583
 295
 81
 
 
 63,959
Selling, general and administrative47,538
 20,274
 7,467
 40,654
 (2,711) 113,222
Depreciation and amortization127,521
 24,644
 13,673
 567
 
 166,405
Total operating expenses369,808
 105,148
 59,277
 41,221
 (37,846) 537,608
Operating income (loss)$92,847
 $23,755
 $17,865
 $(41,221) $
 $93,246
            
Capital Expenditures$86,146
 $26,640
 $16,566
 $7,289
 $
 $136,641

Year ended December 31, 2017: 
(in thousands)Wireless Cable Wireline Other Eliminations Consolidated
External revenue           
Service revenue$431,184
 $107,338
 $20,388
 
 
 $558,910
Equipment revenue9,467
 724
 127
 
 
 10,318
Other9,478
 7,855
 25,430
 
 
 42,763
Total external revenue450,129
 115,917
 45,945
 
 
 611,991
Internal revenue4,949
 3,245
 33,308
 
 (41,502) 
Total operating revenue455,078
 119,162
 79,253
 
 (41,502) 611,991
Operating expenses           
Cost of services129,626
 59,335
 38,417
 39
 (38,696) 188,721
Cost of goods sold22,653
 14
 119
 
 
 22,786
Selling, general and administrative118,257
 19,999
 6,923
 23,564
 (2,806) 165,937
Integration and acquisition expenses10,793
 
 
 237
 
 11,030
Depreciation and amortization139,610
 23,968
 12,829
 600
 
 177,007
Total operating expenses420,939
 103,316
 58,288
 24,440
 (41,502) 565,481
Operating income (loss)$34,139
 $15,846
 $20,965
 $(24,440) $
 $46,510
            
Capital Expenditures$82,620
 $34,487
 $22,581
 $6,801
 $
 $146,489

Year ended December 31, 2016:
(in thousands)Wireless Cable Wireline Other Eliminations Consolidated
External revenue           
Service revenue$359,769
 $99,070
 $19,646
 
 
 $478,485
Equipment revenue10,674
 736
 130
 
 
 11,540
Other13,690
 7,191
 24,382
 
 
 45,263
Total external revenue384,133
 106,997
 44,158
 
 
 535,288
Internal revenue4,620
 1,737
 30,816
 
 (37,173) 
Total operating revenue388,753
 108,734
 74,974
 
 (37,173) 535,288
Operating expenses           
Cost of services103,840
 58,290
 36,272
 
 (34,433) 163,969
Cost of goods sold29,273
 291
 (13) 
 
 29,551
Selling, general and administrative95,851
 19,248
 6,474
 14,492
 (2,740) 133,325
Integration and acquisition expenses25,927
 
 
 16,305
 
 42,232
Depreciation and amortization107,621
 23,908
 11,717
 439
 
 143,685
Total operating expenses362,512
 101,737
 54,450
 31,236
 (37,173) 512,762
Operating income (loss)$26,241
 $6,997
 $20,524
 $(31,236) $
 $22,526
            
Capital Expenditures$123,400
 $32,400
 $20,200
 $(2,769) $
 $173,231







A reconciliation of the total of the reportable segments’ operating income (loss) to consolidated income (loss) before taxes is as follows:
 Years Ended December 31,
(in thousands)2018 2017 2016
Total consolidated operating income (loss)$93,246
 $46,510
 $22,526
Interest expense(34,847) (38,237) (25,102)
Gain (loss) on investments, net(275) 564
 271
Non-operating income (loss), net3,988
 4,420
 4,250
Income (loss) before income taxes$62,112
 $13,257
 $1,945

The Company’s CODM does not currently review total assets by segment since the assets are centrally managed and some of the assets are shared by the segments. As of January 1, 2018, the Company records stock compensation expense to Other. Previously recorded stock compensation expense was allocated among all segments.

Note 18.  Quarterly Results (unaudited)

The following table reflects selected quarterly results for the Company.
 Three Months Ended
(in thousands, except per share data)March 31, 2018 June 30,
2018
 September 30, 2018 December 31, 2018
Operating revenue$154,138
 $156,501
 $158,731
 $161,484
Operating income (loss)16,754
 21,169
 28,329
 26,994
Net income (loss)6,583
 9,626
 15,534
 14,852
        
Net income (loss) per share - basic$0.13
 $0.19
 $0.31
 $0.31
Net income (loss) per share - diluted$0.13
 $0.19
 $0.31
 $0.30
        
 Three Months Ended
(in thousands except per share data)March 31, 2017 June 30,
2017
 September 30, 2017 December 31, 2017
Operating revenue$154,125
 $153,867
 $152,382
 $151,617
Operating income (loss)10,673
 8,252
 9,475
 18,110
Net income (loss)2,341
 (80) 3,534
 60,595
        
Net income (loss) per share - basic$0.05
 $
 $0.07
 $1.23
Net income (loss) per share - diluted$0.05
 $
 $0.07
 $1.21

Immaterial Prior Period Adjustment.

During the three months ended September 30, 2018, the Company determined that the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2018, and the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, contained an immaterial misstatement.  Excess amortization of deferred contract costs that are recognized as a reduction of revenue, as described in Note 3, resulted in an understatement of revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2018, and the three and six months ended June 30, 2018. Additionally, amounts recorded upon the adoption of Topic 606 on January 1, 2018 were misstated. The Company evaluated the materiality of the prior period adjustment quantitatively and qualitatively, under the SEC’s authoritative guidance on materiality, and concluded that the prior period adjustment was not material to the financial statements of any of the impacted unaudited 2018 periods. The Company elected to correct the prior period adjustment by revising the prior period financial statements. 

The cumulative effect of the adjustment made to the consolidated January 1, 2018 balance sheet for the adoption of the new revenue recognition standard was as follows:

 As of January 1, 2018
(in thousands)As Reported Correction of Error As Adjusted
Prepaid expenses and other$53,688
 $(6,701) $46,987
Deferred charges and other assets, net29,797
 14,964
 44,761
Deferred income taxes119,030
 2,201
 121,231
Retained earnings347,240
 6,062
 353,302

The following table presents the effects of the immaterial prior period adjustment on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2018 and June 30, 2018:
 As of March 31, 2018
(in thousands)As Reported Correction of Error As Adjusted
Prepaid expenses and other$64,200
 $(5,741) $58,459
Deferred charges and other assets, net33,934
 16,410
 50,344
Deferred income taxes115,809
 2,853
 118,662
Retained earnings352,069
 7,816
 359,885
 As of June 30, 2018
(in thousands)As Reported Correction of Error As Adjusted
Prepaid expenses and other$64,163
 $(4,756) $59,407
Deferred charges and other assets, net34,021
 17,896
 51,917
Deferred income taxes111,125
 3,522
 114,647
Retained earnings359,893
 9,618
 369,511


The following tables present the effects of the immaterial prior period adjustment on the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the three and six months ended June 30, 2018:
 For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
(in thousands)As Reported Correction of Error As Adjusted
Service revenue and other$134,153
 $2,406
 $136,559
Income tax expense (benefit)1,176
 652
 1,828
Net income (loss)4,829
 1,754
 6,583
Earnings per share - basic$0.10
 $0.03
 $0.13
Earnings per share - diluted$0.10
 $0.03
 $0.13
 For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2018
(in thousands)As Reported Correction of Error As Adjusted
Service revenue and other$138,021
 $2,471
 $140,492
Income tax expense (benefit)2,862
 669
 3,531
Net income (loss)7,824
 1,802
 9,626
Earnings per share - basic$0.16
 $0.03
 $0.19
Earnings per share - diluted$0.16
 $0.03
 $0.19

 For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2018
(in thousands)As Reported Correction of Error As Adjusted
Service revenue and other$272,174
 $4,877
 $277,051
Income tax expense (benefit)4,038
 1,321
 5,359
Net income (loss)12,653
 3,556
 16,209
Earnings per share - basic$0.26
 $0.07
 $0.33
Earnings per share - diluted$0.25
 $0.07
 $0.32



Schedule II
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

Changes in the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts for accounts receivable for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 are summarized below:
(in thousands) Balance at Beginning of Year Recoveries added to allowance Bad debt expense Losses charged to allowance Balance at End of Year
Year Ended December, 31 2018  
Allowance for doubtful accounts $466
 $631
 $1,983
 $(2,546) $534
Year Ended December, 31 2017  
Allowance for doubtful accounts $759
 $616
 $2,179
 $(3,088) $466
Year Ended December, 31 2016  
Allowance for doubtful accounts $418
 $628
 $2,456
 $(2,743) $759


Exhibits Index

Exhibit
Number
Exhibit Description
2.1
3.1
3.2
4.1
4.2
10.1
10.2
10.3
10.4
10.5
















10.6
10.7
10.8
10.9
10.10
10.11
10.12
10.13
10.14
10.15
10.16


10.17
10.18
10.19
10.20
10.21
10.22
10.23
10.24
10.25
10.26

10.27
10.28
10.29
10.30
10.31
10.32
10.33
10.34
10.35
10.36

10.37
10.38
10.39
10.40
10.41
10.42
10.43
10.44
10.45
10.46
10.47
10.48

10.50
10.51
10.52
10.53
10.54
10.55
10.56
10.57
*10.58
*10.59
*10.60
*21
*23.1
*31.1
*31.2
**32
(101)Formatted in XBRL (Extensible Business Reporting Language)

101.INSXBRL Instance Document
101.SCHXBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CALXBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEFXBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LABXBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PREXBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document


* Filed herewith
** This certification is deemed not filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act), or otherwise subject to the liability of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act), or the Exchange Act.