Acquisitions (Details) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($)
Lightower Acquisition [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred	$ 7,100,000
Fiber Miles Acquired	32,000
Business Acquisition, Date of Acquisition Agreement	Nov. 01, 2017
Wilcon Acquisition [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred	$ 600,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Intangible Assets	140,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Property, Plant, and Equipment	150,000
Business Acquisition, Goodwill	360,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Liabilities, Deferred Revenue	$ 40,000
Fiber Miles Acquired	1,900
Business Acquisition, Date of Acquisition Agreement	Jun. 26, 2017
FiberNet Acquisition [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Assets	$ 51,791
Business Combination, Revenue of Acquiree since Acquisition Date, Actual	109,000
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred	1,500,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Intangible Assets	327,338	[1]
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Other Noncurrent Assets	72
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Property, Plant, and Equipment	439,961
Business Acquisition, Goodwill	$ 779,013	[2]
Fiber Miles Acquired	11,500
Business Acquisition, Date of Acquisition Agreement	Jan. 17, 2017
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Liabilities	$ (36,438)
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Noncurrent Liabilities	(40,907)
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired, Goodwill, and Liabilities Assumed, Net	$ 1,520,830	[3]
Top Metro Markets [Domain] | FiberNet Acquisition [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fiber Miles Acquired	6,000

[1] Predominantly comprised of site rental contracts and customer relationships.

[2] The preliminary purchase price allocation for the FiberNet Acquisition resulted in the recognition of goodwill based on:•the Company's expectation to leverage the FiberNet fiber footprint to support new small cell networks and fiber based solutions,•the complementary nature of the FiberNet fiber to the Company's existing fiber assets and its location in top metro markets where the Company expects to see wireless carrier network investments,•the Company's belief that the acquired fiber assets are well-positioned to benefit from the continued growth trends in the wireless industry, and•other intangibles not qualified for separate recognition, including the assembled workforce.

[3] For tax purposes, the Fibernet Acquisition was treated as a purchase of assets. As a result of the tax step-up and the expectation that the vast majority of the assets will be included in the Company's REIT, no deferred taxes were recorded in connection with the FiberNet Acquisition.